MILEPOST 36 JANUARY 2016 III 28

Class 37s in Scotland From page 330 Photo Dr Peter Darke

RPS railway performance society www.railperf.org.uk Milepost 36¾ - January 2016

The Quarterly Magazine of the Railway Performance Society Honorary President: John Heaton FCILT Commitee:

CHAIRMAN Frank Collins 10 Collett Way, Frome, Somerset BA11 2XR Tel: 01373 466408 e-mail [email protected] VICE CHAIRMAN Michael Rowe Burley Cottage, Parson St., Porlock,Minehead, Somerset, TA24 8QJ . Tel 01643 862182 E-mail: [email protected] SECRETARY Frank Price, Penn House, Middle Common Rd., Pennington, Lymington (co-opted) SO41 8LE Tel: 01730 233221 Email: [email protected] TREASURER Peter Smith 28 Downsview Ave, Storrington, W Sussex, RH20 (and membership) 4PS. Tel 01903 742684 e-mail: [email protected] EDITOR David Ashley 92 Lawrence Drive, Ickenham, Uxbridge, Middx, UB10 8RW. Tel 01895 675178 E-mail: [email protected] Fastest Times Editor Martin Robertson 23 Brownside Rd, Cambuslang, Glasgow, G72 0NL e-mail: [email protected] Distance Chart Editor Ian Umpleby 314 Stainbeck Rd, Leeds, W Yorks LS7 2LR Tel 0113 266 8588 Email: [email protected] Database/Archivist Lee Allsopp 2 Gainsborough, North Lake, Bracknell, RG12 7WL Tel 01344 648644 e-mail [email protected] Technical Officer David Hobbs 11 Lynton Terrace, Acton, London W3 9DX Tel 020 8993 3788 e-mail [email protected] David Stannard 26 Broomfield Close, Chelford, Macclesfield, Cheshire,SK11 9SL. Tel 01625 861172 e mail: [email protected] Meeting Secretary: Michael Bruce, 234A Otley Rd., West Park, Leeds LS16 5AB Tel 0113 305 0367 E-mail: [email protected] Committee member: David Sage: 93 Salisbury Rd, Burton, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 7JR Tel 01202 249717 E-mail: [email protected] Non-committee official:- Foreign Fastest times: Alan Varley, 285 Chemin de la Costiere, 06000 Nice, France, e-mail: [email protected] Directors of The Rail Performance Data Foundation: RPS nominees: Frank Collins, Peter Smith, Martin Barrett Trustees: Frank Price, John Rishton CONTENTS Martin Barrett Frank Collins 275 Notices 278 Fastest Times Martin Robertson 284 How fast to Leicester? Frank Collins 291 The (not so) Great Britain 2015 Sandy Smeaton 293 Glasgow-Cumbernauld electrification Martin Robertson 296 More early timing experiences John Rishton 300 A4 vs Brush 4 Bill Hemstock 307 Newcastle-Stockton-Northallerton Andrew James 310 Recorder’s guide to SNCF- the end of an era Alan Varley 318 Belgium- further travails David Lloyd-Roberts 325 Letters 327 News: Autumn Chieftain Dr Peter Darke 330 Network Developments Ian Umpleby 333 Chiltern re-opening David Ashley 335 Naismith’s Rule and Govia Thameslink David Ashley 337 Open Rail data – update David Ashley 341 From Stourbridge Junction by Chiltern John Rishton 343

Front Cover: 37218 and 37425 waiting to depart from Perth with the Autumn Chieftain: photo Dr Peter Darke

Enclosures : Mass Timing Day Supplements, Membership Renewal forms Copyright The Railway Performance Society Ltd, registered in England & Wales No. 04488089

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Use of the material in the magazine is permitted only for the private purposes of the reader No material in the magazine can otherwise be used for publication or reproduction in any form without the express permission of the Society

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the RPS, the Editors or any of their advisers. Whilst efforts are made to ensure accuracy, the Editor his advisers and the RPS accept no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from any inaccuracies howsoever caused. Readers are asked to note that the RPS encourages contributions from all members, and articles may appear that are interesting in content, but occasionally may not be to the standard of the rest of the publication. Material sent to the Editors, whether commissioned or freely submitted is provided entirely at the contributors own risk; neither the Editor nor the RPS can be held responsible for any loss or damage howsoever caused. Published by The Railway Performance Society Limited, 92 Lawrence Drive, Ickenham, Uxbridge, Middx, UB10 8RW Printed by Prontaprint Harrow, 7 Central Parade, Station Rd., Harrow, Middx, HA1 2TW.

Martin Barrett By Frank Collins

As most members will already be aware, long standing RPS Secretary Martin Barrett died very unexpectedly on 12th October 2015 from complications following routine surgery.

Martin was well known to many of us, both within the RPS, where he was a member for over 30 years, and in the Railway Industry, as a career railwayman for over 40 years. We will all have many and different memories of Martin; but the level of regard in which he was held by so many was witnessed by the large number of friends and former colleagues who attended the event held by the family in York on 17th November in celebration of Martin’s life. I was privileged to be asked by the family to give the tribute on behalf of the RPS;-

It is with great sadness that we are gathered here today but it is my privilege to say a few words on behalf of the Railway Performance Society in recognition of the friendship and hard work that has marked Martin's association with the RPS.

It is strange how fate brings people together. In the same way that Martin was one of a generation of railway men who had the good fortune to be able to be paid to do for a living something that they loved; the RPS brought together many railway men to pursue their love of railways away from the day to day professional role, in associations that go back very many years. Testimony to those associations is the number of people here today from the railway world – professionals, RPS members, and those who are from both.

John Heaton – now President of the RPS - first encountered Martin in 1967 on a steam- hauled train hurtling towards London at over 100mph, before John joined the railway. Martin and John then worked in adjacent offices here in this building in 1971, before working closely together within the RPS. Noel Proudlock – another long standing RPS member - also worked here and clearly remembers Martin as one of the bright young men who appeared in York following the merger of the Eastern and North Eastern Regions in 1968.

The same qualities that Martin displayed in his private life were brought to his career as he worked his way up the ladder to head of permanent train planning. Again, Noel remembers Martin as someone who would always find a way of doing what others deemed too difficult. My own association with Martin goes back around 30 years to when he joined the RPS – working closely with him for most of that time on the Committee, and on the working parties that the RPS put out for a number of years in the 1990s on the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales

Martin once explained to me that his interest in railways started when he was aged about 10 when he first saw copies of Trains Illustrated magazine, and was regularly walking over the footbridge crossing Ilford car sheds on his way to school swimming lessons. I gather he didn’t like swimming. He started timing trains when he was 16, as he put it, by trial and error. His professional interest in train planning meant that he took an interest in all aspects of train planning and performance, however apparently dull, for he had a great sense of recording history for posterity when timing trains. For that we have to thank the wealth of historical data

Milepost 36¾ -274- January 2016 that Martin has added to the RPS Archive collection over so many years. But without doubt the highlight of 50 years of train timing for Martin was his following the final week of steam working from Waterloo, back in 1967

Martin performed his RPS honorary roles with diligence, meticulous detail and a keen sense of 'running to time' with whatever task he undertook. In one respect Martin was like many of his railway colleagues in that he was paid for doing work he enjoyed doing, the proof of which probably lies in the articles and analysis he undertook writing reports for investigations the RPS frequently undertakes. On that note I too must be conscious of maintaining the schedule for today’s events. Our memory of Martin within the RPS will be one of a consummate railway professional, a thoroughly honourable man with a quiet but teasing sense of humour but who, above all, was good company.

What became clear in the course of the tributes was that there were very much two parts to Martin; the railway side, and the family side, and the two rarely crossed over - save, it seems, when it came to travelling. Martin had become a very proud granddad a few years ago and was even more excited when eldest grandson Casper started to shown all the signs of having his granddad’s ‘train bug’. As Martin’s daughter Claire so wonderfully put it, having spent a lifetime playing with a train set the size of a country, as a granddad he got a lot of pleasure playing with Casper’s toy train set.

There were many RPS members present on 17th November. Northbound from Kings Cross that morning resembled a mini RPS Mass Timing Day, so as a tribute to Martin, it seems very fitting to append the runs on the 10.00, 10.30 and 11.00 departures from Kings Cross; respectively a non-stop HST, a semi-fast class 91, and a non-stop class 91.

Richard Howlett’s HST seems to have had the least good fortune of the morning. Getting away late, it proceeded to keep the sectional running times initially, without pushing on particularly hard to get time in hand, only then to encounter a heavy check approaching Peterborough anyway. The allowances in the Grantham area were all used to absorb the tsr at Stoke Tunnel and a heavy signal check approaching the station. Despite approaching Doncaster only a couple of minutes down, the tsr was compounded by a signal check and the inability to make haste going forwards; but most of the time was lost in the heavily checked arrival into York itself, to be 6 minutes late. Martin’s analysis of this run would inevitably had something to say about the highly constricting modern layout of York station, one feels.

The driver on my run showed a great deal of determination, and handling skills. After the usual slow class 91 start from the Cross, we were hurried north with a sense of urgency and a respectable time to Peterborough – though still a full 2 minutes outside the all time record, recorded by Martin himself in 1998. The same sense of urgency continued from the restart – but the Stoke tsr prevent us getting any closer to the Fastest Times here. We were again checked – this time from some distance out – on the approach to Doncaster, and did well to be just a minute late away; but once again the constrictions of the York layout and the way platforming is organised ensured that a departing southbound TPE class 185 turned our punctual approach into a slightly late arrival

John Heaton’s run is so typical of one which Martin would have liked to have sunk his teeth into - a schedule that had a 2min pathing clash before Potters Bar, mirrored in practice. Here was a driver who clearly knew what the schedule needed, running the 41.73miles from Stevenage to Holme in 20min 8 sec at 124.4mph average, and yet still losing 8sec on the unlikely 125.2mph schedule demanded over a section that includes 120mph at Offord and 105 mph at Holme! He would also have had something to say about the delay at Shaftholme for (I think) a Tyne Coal Terminal to West Burton freight from the Askern line to the up main.

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The loss of 2½min to York would have been a disappointment but the net 102min actual would have received his admiration.

One of the saddest aspects of Martin’s untimely departure is that it coincided with joy that he never knew – the birth of his second grandson, Barney, just a few hours earlier. There was therefore a certain irony that the homeward journeys of many from the celebratory event were disrupted by the effects of ‘Storm Barney’ passing across the southern part of the country during the afternoon.

Martin will be very much missed by many, but his memory will remain for a long time, and his lifetime’s collection of train performance material will in due course find it’s way into the Society’s archive – a very fitting legacy from a man who it was a privilege to have known and worked with

King's Cross to York Loco 43139 + 43295 91120 911xx Load 2+9/ 9+DVT/409/440 9+DVT/409/440 Train 10.00 KX-Aberdeen 10.30 KX-Newcastle 11.00 KX-Edinburgh Date Tues 17/11/2015 Tues 17/11/2015 Tues 17/11/2015 Recorder/Position R Howlett/ 3/9 F G Collins/ 10/11 J Heaton 8/11 M C Timing Point WTT m s mph av WTT m s mph av WTT m s mph av 0 08 King's Cross 0.0 0 00 1.5 late 0 0 00 Plat 0/ T 0.0 0 00 T 0 60 Belle Isle 2.0 2 2 30 15.6 2.0 2 30 31 15.6 2 41 Finsbury Park 4.0 4 06 63 4.5 4 32 - /69 RBT 52.0 4.5 4 32 77 52.0 3 32 Harringay 4 54 74 66.6 5 16 72.6 5 10 88 84.1 4 78 Alexandra Pal 6.0 6 06 87 78.8 6.5 6 21 95 87.2 6.5 6 11 94 93.0 6 37 New Southgate 7 05 93 90.8 7 17 99/104 95.6 7 07 98/102/sigs 95.6 9 12 New Barnet 8 45 100 96.8 8 52 102 101.8 (2) 8 46 sigs92 97.7 10 44 Hadley Wood 9 40 109 105.0 9 54 sigs51/47 74.1 12 60 Potters Bar 11.0 10 50 106/115 103.7 11 10 50 114 113.1 13.0 12 08 82 59.1 14 39 Brookmans Pk 11 46 114 111.7 11 44 117/114 115.8 13 17 102/116 90.7 17 56 Hatfield 13 29 110 112.3 13 24 118 115.7 15 01 115/113 111.2 20 25 Welwyn GC 15.0 14 54 110 110.6 15 14 46 114/117 114.7 17.0 16 23 114 114.7 22 00 Welwyn North 15 49 116 110.5 15 38 116 116.8 17 16 115 114.6 23 63 Woolmer Green 17.0 16.5 16 35 113 112.9 18.5 18 11 117 117.0 25 03 Knebworth 17 22 122/124 117.6 17 14 121 115.4 18 50 123/126 115.4 27 48 Stevenage 19.0 18 37 121 123.0 18.5 18 28 126/128 124.7 20.5 20 04 125/126 124.7 31 76 Hitchin 21.0 20 43 123 124.3 20.5 20 32 127 126.3 22.5 22 09 121 125.3 35 50 Three Counties 22 16 127 127.2 23 56 127 123.6 37 03 Arlesey 23 12 123 122.9 22 56 127 127.1 24 36 125 127.1 41 13 Biggleswade 25 12 122 123.8 24 53 127 126.9 26 35 125/126 124.8 44 10 Sandy 27.0 26 38 122 124.0 26.5 26 17 126 127.0 28.5 28 00 124 125.5 46 30 Everton 27 22 126 124.6 29 05 125 124.6 51 56 St. Neots 30 24 118/119 120.7 29 54 125/126/120 126.1 31 39 125/126 124.5 55 72 Offord 31 55 123 125.0 33 41 119 123.9 58 64 Huntingdon 34.0 33 56 125 120.6 33.5 33 19 127 124.3 35.5 35 06 125 122.8 62 00 MP 62 34 51 124 125.2 36 38 125/127 125.2 63 36 Abbots Ripton 36 10 122/119 124.9 35 32 128 127.3 37 19 126 127.3 67 29 Connington S 37 24 124 125.8 39 10 127 126.9 69 26 Holme 39.0 38.5 38 24 105/102 117.8 40.5 40 12 104/100 114.0 72 53 Yaxley (.5)<1> 41 10 90/35 sigs 110.6 <1> 40 22 106/111 101.8 42 10 105/106/s22 101.8 76 29 Peterborough 44.5 44 46 79 61.7 44.5 43 43 66.3 45.5 47 05 28 45.2 46.5 46 20 T 79 38 Werrington J 46 49 106 91.1 4 02 95 49 56 97 65.5 81 72 Helpston 48 09 115 109.1 5 25 113 105.2 51 19 115/125 105.2 84 64 Tallington 49.0 49 39 120/125 116.0 7 6 53 123 118.6 50.0 52 47 123/126 118.6 87 08 Greatford 8 00 126 123.6 53 53 125 125.5 88 56 Essendine 51 35 123 121.0 8 46 126 125.2 54 39 125/126 125.2 92 17 Little Bytham 53 17 125 124.0 10 28 123 124.0 56 20 125/122 125.2 97 07 Corby Glen 55 40 122 122.7 12 50 124 123.6 58 43 125 122.7

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M C Timing Point WTT m s mph av WTT m s mph av WTT m s mph av 99 60 Stoke Jn 56.5 57 18 79/72 tsr 97.8 14 14 08 107/81 t/116 122.9 57.0 60 03 110/80t/113 119.8 (1.5) (2) <1> sigs 20 <1> <1> 105 36 Grantham 62.0 63 18 75 57.0 18 17 34 101 99.6 63.0 63 28 100 100.1 107 65 Peascliffe TS 64 54 98/127 88.6 18 53 107.7 64 49 114 105.0 109 54 Barkston SJ 19 51 124/129/126 115.6 65 46 123/128 117.6 115 27 Claypole 67.0 68 42 120/125 118.8 23 22 31 128 127.4 68.0 68 29 125 125.1 116 69 Balderton 23 14 127 127.7 69 13 124 124.8 119 03 Barnby 24 21 96/br 116.9 70 16 124/125 124.3 120 10 Newark 69.5 71 12 97 114.9 26.5 25 41 48.9 70.5 70 48 119 122.3 28 27 55 120 63 Newark X 70.0 71 36 97 99.4 1.5 1 44 52 71.0 71 11 100 103.7 122 78 Bathley Lane 72 55 111 99.7 3 30 94 74.3 72 25 117 106.4 126 25 Carlton 74 34 124/126 121.4 5 26 116 103.6 74 04 125/126 121.4 131 76 Tuxford <1> 8 13 122/126 121.5 76 46 125 125.3 134 40 Askham TNP <1> 9 27 117/115 124.1 78 01 114 122.4 137 37 Grove Road 80 19 111 116.3 11 00 119 114.7 79 31 122 118.5 138 49 Retford 80.0 80 55 117 115.0 12.5 11 35 118 118.3 81.0 80 05 119 121.8 141 55 Sutton 13 05 128 123.0 81 37 126/125 120.3 143 79 Ranskill 83 41 118 116.6 14 09 128 129.4 82 43 126 125.5 147 57 Bawtry 85 40 104 112.7 16 16 68/53 sigs 105.6 84 38 103 116.6 151 29 Rossington <1> 87 35 122 114.3 <1> 20 00 70/93 58.7 87.0 86 38 120 109.5 153 14 Black Carr J 21 19 90 82.6 87 34 115/sigs 116.5 155 79 Doncaster 90.0 90 24 61 /45s/tsr 98.5 23.5 25 06 44.6 90.5 89 47 50s/t45/61 76.1 25.5 26 50 1 late 158 02 Arksey 92 32 79/99 57.3 2 59 82/101 92 22 59/s61/42 47.3 160 23 Shaftholme J 92.5 94 02 98/101/78t 90.5 4 4 26 100/110/79t 93.6 93.0 95 00 58/80tsr 51.6 165 70 Balne (.5) 97 38 96/118 93.1 8 07 103 91.0 99 31 96 74.2 169 16 Temple Hirst J 97.5 8.5 9 55 120/127 110.8 97.5 101 25 110/125 105.0 175 00 Hambleton NJ 100.5 11 12 41 124 125.8 100.0 104 22 123 118.0 <2> [2] 183 00 Colton Jct 106.5 106 59 106 109.9 15 16 30 126/127 125.8 106.0 108 13 126 124.7 184 26 Copmanthorpe 107 45 102 103.7 (1) 17 08 126 125.5 108 51 125 125.5 186 43 Chaloners Whin sig stop 00-45 <2> 18 24 78/s 16/31 104.8 110 03 89 110.6 188 40 York 110.5 114 56 22 22 06 plat 9 31.8 110.0 112 27 49.1

Revised Committee Roles Frank Collins

One aspect that became apparent very quickly following Martin Barrett’s death was that he was indeed a man of many parts.

On the RPS Committee alone, he was wearing ‘three hats’ – those of Secretary, Vice-Chairman and Meeting’s Secretary. I am delighted to be able to report that we have successfully filled all three positions; Mike Bruce has taken over the functions of Meetings Secretary; Michael Rowe has taken on the mantle of Vice-Chairman; whilst I am very pleased to welcome to the Committee Frank Price who has very kindly agreed to take up the position of Secretary.

Outside of the main Committee, bringing his career’s work to the table as a professional railwayman, in the train planning sphere especially, Martin was a key part of our Consultancy Team. He played a pivotal role in the analytical processes that followed any of our data gathering exercises. It was Martin who played such a key part in organising the biggest Consultancy exercise yet undertaken by the RPS, on the ECML about 12 years ago, which exercise in turn played a major part in putting the Society (and now the Foundation) into the sound financial place that it finds itself in today.

At the time of his death, Martin was mid-way through the analysis and write up from the Midland main line 2-day mass timing exercise in July 2015 – but still at a point where the draft had not yet been shared with anyone else. We are therefore enormously grateful to Editor David Ashley and President John Heaton who in a very short period have successfully pulled the report together, with minimal loss of time – the MTD 2015 report is published with this edition of Milepost, and dedicated to Martin.

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Martin was also Secretary and a Trustee of the Rail Performance Data Foundation – the separate Charitable body which owns and manages the unique, very large, and steadily growing body of train performance logs and data collected by the Society over the years. Martin’s own collection will be added to this in due course. By way of reminder, there are up to 6 Trustees for the foundation – three nominated by the Society Committee (hitherto these have been myself, Martin, and Peter Smith as Treasurer) and up to three from outside of the committee (until now we have had just two – Frank Price and John Rishton). As Frank Price was a Trustee of the RPDF anyway, this means with Martin’s passing we are down to four Trustees – so are therefore looking for a couple of volunteers to join us. The functions are not especially onerous or time consuming – the Trustees meet about 3 times a year – but this is your opportunity to influence the long term storage, development and promotion of our unique archives. I hope therefore you will feel able to assist – if you are, please do not hesitate to contact me, or one of the other Trustees, or another member of the committee.

Finally, Peter Smith has been Treasurer of the Society for more years than he cares to remember – he took over the role at the 2004 AGM. Peter has however advised the Committee that he feels he is now at that time of life where it would be right for him to pass the mantle on to someone else, and to step down by the 2017 AGM. So – we are also looking please for a volunteer to become Treasurer – in an ideal world to be able to shadow Peter during 2016/17 and achieve a seamless transition. Again, if you would be able to help us in that connection, please speak to Peter, or me, or any other member of the Committee

PUBLICATION OF MILEPOST

Milepost is published in April, July, October, and January. If you have not received your copy by the end of the month of publication it may have gone astray. Requests for replacements of missing or defective copies should be directed please to the Editor.

REPRESENTING THE SOCIETY

The RPS is always keen to be represented at special media-type occasions. However, we do ask that anyone wishing to do this should do so with the express agreement of the Committee. Should the opportunity arise for any member or in exceptional circumstances, friend of a member, to do this please can contact be made with the Secretary (either by telephone or e-mail) setting out the circumstances of the occasion. Please give us at least one week in advance of the occasion.

SUBMITTING ARTICLES

Submissions may be sent as attachments to an email or by post as documents on a CD or diskette or as a printed document. If sending a diskette or CD, please enclose a hard copy of the article; this helps if file(s) are unreadable for any reason.

Please send all submissions to the editor whose contact details are in the inside front cover of Milepost. The editor will normally acknowledge email submissions within a few days, and always within 3 weeks. If sending by post and you wish to have a receipt, please enclose an SAE for reply. If you wish any material/CD/diskette to be returned, please clearly state this.

Milepost 23¾ gave detailed guidelines for submissions. The editor is happy to supply these, on request by email or by post. Please note that page margins are critical: one inch or 2.54cm top, bottom, left and right.

FASTEST TIMES

Alan Varley has taken on the compilation of Foreign Fastest Times. Details are shown on page 274. This means that UK and Ireland will be managed by Martin Robertson, and others by Alan Varley.

HISTORIC FASTEST TIMES

If you have any items to offer please contact me by email at either [email protected] or [email protected], or by post to Bevan Price, 24 Walmesley Road, Eccleston, St. Helens, Lancs., WA10 5JT.

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SALES ITEMS Back Numbers: Certain back issues of Milepost, from Milepost 6 onwards, can be supplied at a price of £2.50 each including postage. Supplies are extremely limited and once sold they will not be reprinted. Details of issues available will be supplied on request. Milepost is available in the British Library; the Bodleian Library, Oxford; the University Library, Cambridge; The National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh; The Library of Trinity College, Dublin, the National Library of Wales, the National Railway Museum and the Railway Studies Library at Newton Abbot Library, and on the RPS web-site. Where a requested edition is out of print the member will be provided with a letter of authority from the Society (as copyright holder) to enable a complete copy to be taken from any of the Library copies. Indices for volumes 7, 8, 10, 12 to 19 and 21 are available and will be supplied free of charge on receipt of an A5 size stamped addressed envelope. Orders for all above sales items please to Peter Smith. All prices include postage. Please enclose the correct remittance with your order and allow 28 days for delivery.

THE MEETINGS SECTION . THURSDAY THURSDAY 25TH TUESDAY 15TH SATURDAY 21st THURSDAY 28TH JANUARY FEBRUARY 2016 MARCH 2016 MAY 2016 26TH MAY 2016 2016 The Royal Oak, The Beaufort The Grove Inn, The Lamb, The Royal Oak, Borough, Arms, BRISTOL LEEDS Bloomsbury, WC1 Borough, LONDON PARKWAY LONDON 1645 1600 1700 1215 1645 Area Meeting Area Meeting Area Meeting AGM and 40th Area Meeting anniversary review of HSTs

DIRECTIONS TO THE VENUES

LONDON – The Royal Oak, 44 Tabard Street, London SE1 4JU. From Borough tube station, turn left and at first road junction turn right into Great Dover Street and the almost immediately left into Long Lane. Tabard Street is a few yards on the right (5 minutes walk). OR from London Bridge walk down approach road and turn left into Borough High Street, Turn left by Southwark Local Studies Library, with St Georges Church on right, into Tabard Street. Cross Long Lane and continue down Tabard Street with Royal Oak on right (just over 10 minutes). Please let Richard Howlett know if you are coming on 020 8394 0340 or [email protected]

LEEDS – The Grove Inn, Back Row (off Neville Street), Leeds. LS11 5PL

The Grove Inn is around 400 yards from Leeds station (under 10 minutes walk). From the south concourse of Leeds City station go straight ahead past M & S Simply Food, cross the road and go into a circular building then down the steps turning right at the bottom under the railway arches, this is Neville Street, past the Hilton Hotel, cross Water Lane. Next on the right is a large and high office complex called Bridgewater Place. Turn immediately right after the office complex into Back Lane, The Grove pub will be seen. Alternatively when the new South Entrance to Leeds City station is open (currently November 2015) use this entrance go out of the bottom going towards Neville Street (the main Road) turn right and follow the above instructions. NOTE IF THERE ARE HIGH WINDS FORECAST THEN NEVILLE STREET WILL BE CLOSED TO ALL PEDESTRIANS AND MOTOR TRAFFIC. The problem is that Bridgewater Place creates dangerous winds round the building on both sides, so if this is forecast then please meet on Leeds City south concourse outside W H Smiths and we find somewhere else to meet. You can contact me on [email protected] or 01484 307069.

BRISTOL PARKWAY - THE BEAUFORT ARMS Members should leave Parkway station along the approach road, passing the bus stops and, at the mini-roundabout where the station approach joins

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Hatchet Road, turn right. Walk 100 yards and at the next mini-roundabout, turn right again. You are now walking along North Road. Meetings are held at The Beaufort Arms, BS34 8PB, which is on the left side of North Road after a further 50 yards. Meetings start at 16:00 and conclude around 18:30 The Beaufort Arms is open all day and food is served at all times. You can order and eat during the meeting should you wish. Further information is available from John Rishton on 07804 418896 or [email protected]

FREE SOCIETY MEETINGS All society meetings are free of charge to Members attending; i.e. no contribution will be asked towards the hire of rooms. The committee wishes to encourage Members to come along to meetings, talk to other train timers and share information and experiences of traction performance. The Society has a digital projector and if any member would like to give a short presentation at a society meeting using this projector (or without if they prefer), or if anyone has any topics for discussion at meetings please contact the Meetings Organiser.

BRISTOL MEETING OCTOBER 29th 2015 – John Rishton

This was our first gathering with a 1600 start and attracted a dozen members, including two members making the trip to a Bristol meeting for the first time.

We opened with a detailed account of a four day Railtour from the West Country to the far north of Scotland. A timer’s highlight of the trip was a 2 x cl.37, 12 coach non-stop run from Inverness to Perth in 143m 27s, passing on-route five loops containing northbound trains awaiting the special.

Following this we discussed a log of the 17:42 Paddington to Cheltenham, the new layout at Reading allowing a scheduled non-stop run to Didcot. This HST log, recorded two days earlier, showed a minimum of 93.5mph on the new flyover. A comparison of 156 and 319 runs on Liverpool to Preston semi-fasts concluded the formal presentations.

Discussions then ranged around the minimum speeds of different diesel units at the top of Rattery, the new Borders Railway, HST power outputs of MML v ECML units, early results from testing of new Hitachi trains north of Peterborough and the differences in braking of ATO fitted London Underground fleets when operating underground compared with surface sections of their routes.

Do try and come along to our next meeting, Beaufort Arms from 16:00 on 25th February 2016.

LEEDS MEETING – 17th November 2015 – Chris Taylor

The Leeds Area meeting took place at The Tap on York station after members attended the celebration of Martins Barrett's life.

A member reported that the 0505 from Penzance to London Paddington record on the arrival times at Paddington. A look on Real Time Trains website for one month showed that this train was on average 10-15 minutes late.

On Northern Rail they have a standard of “on time” meaning “on time” at all stations. To monitor this, they are using on-board GPS. Lines already adjusted are Hull to Scarborough, Leeds to Knaresborough & York, and from December 2015, the Calder Valley services. The end-to-end times are unchanged but the intermediate times are adjusted to make the timetable more realistic.

A discussion took place on Trans Pennine & Great Western electrification.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 15th March, 2016.

Distance Chart Editor’s Report – Ian Umpleby

It has been another busy three months with two “new lines” charts, Edinburgh – Tweedbank and Bicester to Oxford Parkway, to finalise and a visit to Ireland to update those charts not attended to

Milepost 36¾ -280- January 2016 since the original issue. An “interesting” ancillary task has been the attempt to create a Borders Line gradient profile from the lineside markers which has been largely successful - with the help of Sandy Smeaton - but some gaps remain. With all this, and a few months of logs/attendant data to catch up on, it has been impossible to make any progress with any other tasks, although the flow of data to the web site has been maintained. The quieter New Year period should bring some respite so the rolling programme of updating/enhancing the Distance Charts will resume. Once again my thanks to all those who have made a contribution.

MARTIN TASKER MEMORIAL LIBRARY- Lee Allsopp

The Society holds a large number of books (~170) containing articles on performance, or containing information of use to Society Members. Full details of the books held are contained in past issues of Milepost.

The books are available for borrowing by contacting me by letter, phone or E-Mail. The borrower will be responsible for postage in both directions. It will be possible in many cases for arrangements to be made to pass books on at Society Meetings to avoid postage costs in one direction at least. The length of the loan can be flexible by agreement.

The Society will be happy to receive donations to the Library. Items should be related to Railway Performance (no Magazine Collections please). Again please contact me regarding this. New items received into the Library will be notified in updates published in Milepost. The entire contents of the library are listed on the Society Website.

RPS ARCHIVES – LATEST UPDATES – Lee Allsopp

The RPS Archive consists of material collected over the years from submissions and donations of material and collections by members. We are also indebted to the Steam Railway Research Society (SRRS), and the Stephenson Locomotive Society (SLS) for giving us the opportunity to scan some of their material for inclusion in our archive.

The following is a short summary of the material that is has been added to the Archive on our Website since the last issue of Milepost. The Website is generally updated on a monthly basis, normally the first Sunday in the month. It you haven’t had a look yet, then please give it a try!

Latest material from Lee Allsopp Latest runs from Ian Umpleby. David Adams logs from the 3rd Quarter of 2015 Milepost 36½ and Milepost 36½ Extra Latest runs from Bob Jennings Latest runs from Michael Burrow Latest runs from Peter Smith Latest runs from Richard Howlett Latest runs from Charles Foss Latest from Richard Neville-Carlé Latest from David Sage Details of Italian high speed running from Baard Covington Logs from John Rishton to go with his Fastest Times entries More from Bevan Price, including recent runs from the past few years. 32 more books from David Lloyd-Roberts covering commuting from Tunbridge Wells to London along with a wide variety of other material through the years 24 more notebooks from S A W Harvey covering mainly Southern Steam on the South Eastern from 1948 to 1961. This collection is now complete HST running from Derek Wilson from 1977 – 2002 Scanned images from 22 notebooks by Alan Varley to go with info already in the database, covering 1965 – 1972 ~300 steam runs from Eric Davies, kindly scanned and written up by Howard Claridge The first of ~20 books of steam running recorded by photographer Ian Carr, mainly in the North East

RPS ARCHIVES – Coming soon!

Milepost 36¾ -281- January 2016

Thanks go Frank Waterland who is continuing to scan some of the vast amount of material that goes into the archive.

The following is a taster of material that will appear in the archive, as it is scanned and processed, together with topical material received from a number of members.

David Lloyd-Roberts has made his vast amount of material available to the society. These will be scanned and added to the archive over the coming months. Data from 153 books has been entered so far. More from Bevan Price’s notebooks, covering a vast amount of travel over many years. Member Derek Wilson has donated a large amount of material covering the late 70s onwards. This is now being entered into the archive. The remainder of Ian Carr’s material will shortly be scanned and entered into the archive.

NEED MATERIAL FOR ARTICLES? – Lee Allsopp

Do you feel that you could write an article for Milepost if only you had access to material to do so? Just want some information to satisfy an idle curiosity? Even if you don’t have access to the Society Archives on the website, you can still get information and logs for that article or whatever by contacting me direct by E-Mail, phone or letter. Just ask me the question and I’ll see what we can come up with!

PROVISION OF CURRENT MATERIAL FOR RPS ARCHIVE – Lee Allsopp

With many members now being connected by Broadband, we are now in a position where we can receive contributions via E-Mail of current material from as many members as wish to contribute. A member could record a log one day and send it to me immediately for inclusion in the database and archive. Would any members who may wish to participate in this please contact me by E-Mail for further details?

I can accept material in a number of formats, Word, Excel, Acrobat pdf files and scanned images of hand written material (eg notebooks). For scanned images we find that scanning at 150 dpi gives perfectly acceptable results, while producing files of a reasonable size (200KB-1MB depending on size of paper, density of printing etc)

RAIL PERFORMANCE DATA FOUNDATION Frank Price

This is a reminder that the Foundation is now up and running. As you may recall from previous issues of Milepost, the Foundation is a charitable offshoot of the Society with the aim of preserving our data archive of train performance logs for posterity, and making it available for present and future generations of those interested in performance on the railway. The Foundation is also keen to publicise the information held in the archives and encourage its use by Society members and others. We are hoping to announce the Foundation in the railway press shortly. Society members are encouraged to donate logs and records to add to the material held by the Foundation, and to consider making bequests of collections to the archive. A recent example, following the untimely death of Martin Barrett [see page 275] is that Martin's family are very kindly making available his very considerable collection of material which will be added to our archives.

2016 Subscriptions

It has been decided to keep membership subscription rates at last year’s levels, and a renewal form is enclosed with this distribution.

Entitlement remains at last year’s level, with a UK Fastest Times booklet available at a supplementary cost. It is hoped to issue a complimentary additional magazine commemorating forty years of the High Speed Train in October

We thank you for your continuing support, and wish you a happy New Year

Milepost 36¾ -282- January 2016

FASTEST TIMES UPDATE

Martin Robertson

Welcome to another Fastest Times Update in which we review the latest full and re-opened Fastest Times. My thanks go to all of those who have contributed in the last few months. I do try to respond to your emails, but I apologise to those to whom I have not managed to reply. Updating the FT listings has settled down and should be done at the end of each month, holidays permitting, having recently come back from three weeks in Nepal, when writing the article in late November. No trains there, only a slow trek up to Everest Base Camp.

Table 1 Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s avge Day/Date Wed 14th October 2015 0.00 82 44 Rugby 0.0 00:00 T 0.0 Train 1633 Euston-Blackpool Nth 1.04 83 47 Trent Valley flyover 1.0 01:43 36.3 Motive Power 221.116 2.62 85 14 High Oaks junction 02:52 82.4 Load (tons) 283/300 = 12.5hp/ton 5.52 88 06 Brinklow 3.5 04:21 117.3 Weather dry 7.09 89 51 M6 05:09 117.8 Rec. Pos. GPS J Rishton - 5/5 - Stopwatch 8.81 91 29 Shilton 06:00 121.4 Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s avge 12.57 95 10 Attleborough SJ 7.5 07:49 124.2 0.00 00 00 London Euston 0.0 00:00 T 0.0 14.50 97 04 Nuneaton 8.0 08:45 124.1 1.11 01 08 Camden south junction 2.5 02:15 29.6 19.75 102 24 Atherstone 11:44 105.6 1.64 01 50 Camden junction 3.0 02:55 rbt 47.7 20.54 103 07 Baddersley junction 12:13 97.9 3.66 03 52 Queens Park 04:50 63.3 23.94 106 39 Polesworth 13:59 115.5 5.40 05 31 Willesden Junction 6.0 06:00 89.5 26.44 109 00 Amington junction 14.0 15:11 125.0 6.98 06 77 north circular road 06:53 107.4 27.44 110 00 Tamworth 15:40 124.0 8.06 08 04 Wembley Central 7.5 07:27 114.3 29.00 111 44 Coton 16:25 124.8 11.40 11 31 Harrow & Wealdstone 9.5 09:33 sigs 95.4 31.06 113 49 Hademore 17:25 123.6 15.99 15 78 Bushey 12:13 103.3 33.70 116 22 Lichfield Trent Valley 18:42 123.5 17.46 17 36 Watford Junction 13.0 13:02 108.1 34.32 116 70 Lichfield north junction 18.0 19:00 124.0 20.95 20 75 Kings Langley 14:53 113.2 35.20 117 60 Curborough junction 19:25 124.2 23.11 23 08 Apsley 15:57 121.5 38.27 120 66 Lichfield Road 20:54 124.9 24.50 24 39 Hemel Hempstead 16:38 122.1 40.32 122 70 Carwardine 21:53 125.1 26.33 26 25 Bourne End 17.0 17:31 124.2 41.95 124 40 Rugeley north junction 22 [1] 22:40 124.7 27.93 27 73 Berkhamsted 18:19 120.0 44.60 127 12 Colwich 25.0 24:27 89.2 31.71 31 56 Tring 20.0 20:15 117.3 46.02 128 46 Shugborough tunnel 25:39 71.0 36.13 36 09 Cheddington 22:23 124.3 46.84 129 31 Milford junction 26:13 86.8 37.58 37 45 Ledburn junction 23.0 23:05 124.3 48.04 130 47 Whitehouse junction 27:01 90.0 40.19 40 14 Leighton Buzzard 24:22 122.0 49.76 132 25 Queensville 28:12 87.2 42.26 42 20 Chelmscote 25:28 112.9 50.51 133 05 Wolverhampton Road 28:57 60.0 46.66 46 52 Bletchley 27.5 27:37 122.8 50.98 133 43 Stafford 30.5 30:08 23.8 49.84 49 66 Milton Keynes 29.0 29:09 124.5 52.41 52 32 Wolverton [1] 30:24 123.4 56.76 56 58 Hanslope north junction 33.0 32:30 124.3 60.64 60 48 bifurcation 34:22 124.7 62.94 62 72 Blisworth 35:29 123.7 64.49 64 36 Banbury Lane 36:14 124.0 67.62 67 46 Heyford 37:45 123.8 69.69 69 52 Weedon junction 39.5 38:48 118.3 72.69 72 52 Whilton Locks [1] 40:19 118.7 75.29 75 20 Welton 41:43 111.4 76.83 76 63 Kilsby tunnel 42:33 110.9 78.20 78 13 43:18 109.6 80.16 80 10 Hillmorton 44:26 103.8 81.51 81 38 Hillmorton junction 47.0 45:39 66.6 82.59 82 44 Rugby 48.5 47:52 29.2

I have had a larger number of runs than usual on both the WCML and ECML’s with relatively few offerings elsewhere. Surprisingly I have had no runs from the Midland Main Line since

Milepost 36¾ -283- January 2016 the few I have received from some of the participants of the Mass Timing Day in July. I will concentrate on the southern stretches of both the WCML and ECML’s and will feature the northern sections in the April issue of Milepost.

We start with a very fine offering from John Rishton of a Super Voyager on the 16 33 Euston to Blackpool service, from Euston to Stafford. John’s only comment was a ‘superb run’ which we can agree with. I assume the signal check at Harrow was from the preceding 16 30 service to Glasgow, which thereafter did not trouble the Blackpool service. Speeds were close to the 125mph limit over most stretches where permitted. Note the close observance of the schedule to Milton Keynes, although thereafter the schedule is possibly optimistic, as two minutes recovery time only gave a half minute early arrival in Rugby.

A very optimistic schedule of three and a half minutes to Brinklow, 95mph average start-to- pass, was never going to be achieved but the time thereafter to Rugeley Nth Jn virtually matched the schedule. The one minute recovery time permitted a slightly early arrival at an average speed of 101.5mph.

Table 2 Run 2 is a southbound Date Tu 31-Aug-10 offering from Brian Train 1348 Liverpool-Euston Loco 390049 Milner between Runcorn Load 9,460/480 and Stafford. Brian Recorder/position B Milner 8/9 comments: This was the Miles M C Location 390 m s mph ave only time I have travelled from Lime St to Euston 0.00 180 40 RUNCORN 0.0 0 00.0 1.5 L so it is surprising that it 1.50 179 00 Milepost includes a Fastest Time.

3.50 177 00 Milepost [1.0] 3 29.0 98 60.3 A near perfect run, with 5.84 174 53 Weaver Jn 5.0 4 53.5 101 99.6 no excesses over the 7.99 172 41 ACTON BRIDGE SFB 6.0 6 04.5 119/117 109.0 9.50 171 00 Milepost 6 50.0 123 119.7 speed limits, the only 10.65 169 68 HARTFORD SFB 7 23.0 124/123 125.5 blemish being the brief 13.50 167 00 Milepost 8 46.0 124 123.6 69mph through Norton 15.03 165 38 WINSFORD SFB 10.0 9 30.0 124/122 124.8 Bridge for the long 17.50 163 00 Milepost 10 42.5 123 122.9 standing psr. 19.50 161 00 Milepost [1.0] 11 40.5 124 124.1 21.65 158 68 Crewe Coal Yard SB 15.0 12 56.0 79 102.5 Table 3 is an offering 22.44 158 05 CREWE NSFB 15.5 13 32.5 77 77.7 from John Heaton for a 24.21 156 23 Basford Hall Jn SB 16.5 14 51.0 91 81.4 26.50 154 00 Milepost 16 10.5 111 103.6 re-opened record 28.50 152 00 Milepost 17 13.0 119/123 115.2 between Grantham and 30.33 150 14 Madeley OB 20.0 18 06.5 122 122.8 Retford. John 32.50 148 00 Milepost 19 10.0 124 123.3 comments: The 18.33 34.50 146 00 Milepost 20 08.0 125 124.1 from KX was rather 36.50 144 00 Milepost 21 06.0 124 124.1 strange. The 18.19 was 38.50 142 00 Milepost 22 04.0 124 124.1 cancelled and the 18.30 40.50 140 00 Milepost 23 09.5 95 109.9 left well behind us so we 41.65 138 68 NORTON BRIDGE Shl 25.5 24 04.5 69 75.3 43.50 137 00 Milepost 25 22.0 102/111 85.9 were able to recoup our 45.50 135 00 Milepost [1.0] 26 29.5 95 106.7 lost time by Doncaster 46.96 133 43 STAFFORD 30.5 28 34.0 0.5 E 42.3 with unused recovery and pathing. The driver tended to make cautious starts but ran hard against the top limit with 126/127 being the norm. Good negotiation of the flashing yellows into Retford back platform brought a 'reopened record'.

All the good work was undone at Leeds while we waited for a failed emu to be withdrawn from somewhere between Kirkstall and Shipley - announced as Thackley more times than

Milepost 36¾ -284- January 2016

Table 3 anywhere else but a fast Date 27/10/15 job if withdrawn through Train 18.33 KX-Bradford F.S. Loco/Unit 911xx the long tunnel wrong line. Load 9/409/435 We were 30min late from Recorder/Position J. Heaton 8/11 Shipley and a perfunctory Miles M Ch Timing Point Sch. M. S. M. P. H. Ave. run into Forster Square 0.00 105 35 GRANTHAM d. 0 0 0 1L 1L was enough to gain the 2.38 107 65 Peascliffe TSP 3 4 84 46.5 reopened record from my 4.24 109 54 Barkston South Jct 4 12 105 98.6 last, also perfunctory, run

6.06 111 40 Hougham 5 9 125 115.3 over the section. 9.90 115 27 Claypole 7 6 58 128 126.7

11.43 116 69 Balderton 7 41 127 127.7 13.60 119 3 Barnby 8 43 123 126.3 Table 4 is another superb 14.68 120 9 NEWARK N. 9½ 9 15 118 120.9 run on the ECML courtesy 15.35 120 63 Newark Crossing 10 9 38 101 105.7 of Alistair Wood, between 17.56 123 0 Bathley Lane 10 52 116 107.6 York and Kings Cross 19.25 124 55 Cromwell 11 44 119 116.8 with the HST on the 07 55 20.88 126 25 Carlton 12 33 124/127 119.4 from Inverness, which 24.93 130 29 Egmanton 14 28 126/125 126.8 Alistair had joined at 26.51 131 76 Tuxford 15 14 126/127 125.6 Stirling. 29.06 134 40 Askham TNP 16 28 116 124.1 32.03 137 37 Grove Road 18 4 86 111.1 Alistair comments: We left 33.18 138 49 RETFORD a. 20½ 19 48 39.8 Newcastle on time but lost 0.00 205 72 SHIPLEY d. 0 0 0 30L a minute to Darlington. 0.98 206 70 Frizinghall [2] 2 35 49/51 22.6 We were put on the slow 1.94 207 67 Manningham Jct 3 44 48 50.2 2.64 208 43 BRADFORD F.S. a. 7 5 59 18.7 line south of Northallerton, just behind Grand Central’s 12 28 ex Sunderland. We were therefore stopped outside Thirsk, before regaining the fast line, with no visible reason for the slow line running.

We reached York twelve and a half minutes late but cut one minute off the station allowance to leave at 14 07.5, ahead of the 14 01 ECML semi-fast service to KX and the 14 05 Grand Central service.

A virtually perfect run onwards to London, with only two 80mph tsr’s to contend with. The restriction at Newark Flat Crossing has been in effect for many months. Very careful observance of the lower psr’s and consistent running at 126/127mph. Compared with my usual southbound journeys, we got an unprecedented clear road through Peterborough, Hitchin, Woolmer Green and from Finsbury Park into Kings Cross. A delight of a journey. Very unusual for power to be on (momentarily) at Belle Isle.

Table 5 is a collection of short snippets between Wellingborough and Leicester recorded by John Heaton, generally with HST’s, on the Mass Timing Days in July. John did not provide any commentary.

Table 6 has another offering from Alistair Wood, from the Welsh Marches Line, between Hereford and Shrewsbury, from 2013, when Class 67’s were toying with five coach loads. Alistair’s comments are: The train had been delayed by a track electrical fault at Cardiff. A very determined attempt to recover time, for a 74.7mph start to stop average. But what a difficult line this is to time northbound, with most mileposts missing, hidden by lineside vegetation, and the evening sun being directly into one’s eyes.

Table 7 includes the current northbound FT from Warwick Parkway to Solihull recorded by John Heaton and two southbound runs recorded by David Adams and John Rishton. Southbound, John’s Class 67 bettered David’s Class 68.

Milepost 36¾ -285- January 2016

Table 4 Miles Location m s mph Day/Date Mon 26 May 2014 85.43 Mp103 47 13 106 Train 0755 Inverness-KX 88.43 Stoke (Mp 100) 48 53 109 Motive Power 43208/311 91.27 Corby Glen 50 23 127 Load 9/ 94.43 Mp 94 51 49 126 Weather Dry, overcast 96.43 Mp 92 52 47 125 Recorder/position G A M Wood 7/11 99.94 Essendine Ob 54 19 126 Miles Location m s mph 102.43 Mp 86 55 38 126 0.00 York d 0 00 (-11.5) 103.63 Tallington LC 56 12 127 0.31 Holgate Ob 1 00 37 105.96 Maxey LC 57 19 127 1.93 Chalnors Whin 2 37 79 108.82 Werrington Jn 58 46 126 2.72 OB9A 3 14 87 110.43 New England (Mp 78) 59 26 123 3.68 Copmanthorpe Bíng 3 47 94 112.09 Peterborough 60 19 107 5.53 Colton Jn Fb 4 52 106 113.43 Mp 75 61 04 105 8.43 Mp 180 6 29 118 115.64 Yaxley 62 16 114/102* 10.68 Mp 177 3/4 7 37 122 119.11 Holme LC 64 14 108 12.43 Mp 176 8 27 126 122.43 Woodwalton (Mp 66) 66 02 115 13.49 Hambleton Jn Pts 8 55 127 126.43 Leys 68 06 119 16.43 Mp172 10 22 125 129.59 Huntingdon 69 37 127 18.43 Mp 170 11 19 126 132.43 Offord (Mp 56) 71 00 121 20.86 M62 OB 12 28 123 136.73 St Neots 73 05 124 22.43 Balne 13 27 79tsr 141.03 Tempsford LC 75 07 126 24.26 Fenwick LC 14 45 94 144.31 Sandy 76 42 125 26.43 Mp 162 16 02 107 147.24 Biggleswade 78 06 127 28.14 Shaftholme Jn Box 16 56 113/117 151.43 Arlesley 80 06 126 30.41 Arksey LC 18 07 114 154.43 Mp 134 81 32 126 32.44 Doncaster 19 19 100 156.48 Hitchin 82 29 124 34.43 Mp 154 20 27 111 158.43 Wymondley 83 27 123/122 37.07 Rossington LC 21 49 117 160.83 Stevenage 84 39 125 40.78 Bawtry 23 45 109 163.43 Knebworth 85 52 122 44.43 Ranskill Mp144 25 40 119 164.59 Woolmer Green 86 30 107 46.43 Mp 142 26 40 123 167.37 Welwyn North 87 32 107 49.82 Retford 28 18 119 168.11 Welwyn Garden City 88 26 115 51.43 Mp 137 29 16 116 170.73 Hatfield 89 48 118 53.93 Askham T'l (in) 30 25 114 173.94 Brookmans Park 91 27 116 56.49 Tuxford Ob 31 46 120 175.69 Potters Bar 92 22 104 59.43 MP 129 33 10 128 177.88 Hadley Wood 93 40 100 62.12 Carlton-on Trent LC 34 25 126 179.26 New Barnet 94 31 100 64.43 Mp 124 35 32 125 181.97 New Southgate 96 09 95 67.64 Newark Fl C'g 37 15 82* 184.43 Hornsey 98 05 88 68.28 Newark 37 42 87 185.92 Finsbury Park 98 44 73 73.09 Claypole LC 40 33 111 186.93 Mp 1 1/2 99 45 49* 76.77 Hougham Ob 42 33 118 187.86 Gasworks Tl (in) 101 24 32 80.07 Peascliffe T'l (in) 44 12 115 188.34 Kings Cross a 103 19 (RT) 82.99 Grantham 45 49 101

John H comments: The run with 68014 was a competent piece of loco-haulage with the starts and stops a little more confident than they have been. The 100mph limit was observed all the way from Marylebone, with just one brief 101mph.

David comments: After a few frustrating months I have had a memorable Class 68 run which produced two FT’s. There were some liberties taken with the PSR’s so I have withheld the details of date and train. The passage of Hatton at 85mph was the fastest I have experienced and the 95mph down the bank was well above the norm.

John R’s comment was that it was a good run, with the FT being achieved mainly through a faster start.

Milepost 36¾ -286- January 2016

Table 5 Date Fr 17-Jul-15 Train 1815 St Pancras-Leeds Loco 43044/064 Load 8,276/285 Recorder/position/GPS J Heaton 7/10 Y Miles M C Location Sch m s mph

0.00 65 04 WELLINBOROUGH d 0 0 00 /50tsr 1.97 67 02 Harrowdean Jn 2 56 70 4.30 69 28 Burton Latimer 4 36 94/97 5.67 70 58 Kettering S Jn 5 29 92 6.92 71 78 KETTERING a 7 7 20 0.00 d 8.5 8 34 2.05 74 02 Kettering N'th Jn 2 53 71 3.59 75 45 Glendon 4 04 85 6.52 78 40 Desborough N'th 6 00 92/112 10.96 82 75 MARKET HARBO'GH 9 9 06 58*

14.52 86 40 East Langton 11 49 97 16.97 88 76 Kibworth 13 18 100 17.70 89 54 Kibworth N'th 13 44 99/112 19.56 91 43 Great Glen 14 46 110/98 21.51 93 39 Kilby Bridge Jn 15 56 108 23.50 95 38 Wigston S Jn 17 08 81* 24.05 96 02 Wigston N'th Jn 17.5 17 32 80/92 26.05 98 02 Knighton T'l (in) 18 59 71 27.10 99 06 LEICESTER a 21 21 24

Run 2 3 Date Fr 17-Jul-15 Fr 17-Jul-15 Train 16 05 Nott-St Pan 05 30 Sheff-St Pan Loco 222022 43066/046 Load 5/249/260 8/276/300 Recorder/position/GPS J Heaton 4/5 J Heaton 3/10 Y 0.00 99 06 LEICESTER 0 0 00 3.05 96 02 Wigston N'th Jn 3 3 33 80 3.60 95 38 Wigston S Jn 3 58 80 5.59 93 39 Kilby Bridge Jn 5 14 100 7.54 91 43 Great Glen 6 24 102 9.40 89 54 Kibworth N'th 7 28 105 10.13 88 76 Kibworth 7 52 109 12.58 86 40 East Langton 9 11 112 16.14 82 75 MARKET HARBO'GH 12 12 08 0.00 82 75 MARKET HARBO'GH 0 0 00 4.44 78 40 Desborough N'th 5 19 80 7.38 75 45 Glendon 7 12 100/101 8.91 74 02 Kettering N'th Jn 8 09 91 10.96 71 78 KETTERING a 9.5 11 13 10.96 71 78 KETTERING 11.5 12 26 12.21 70 58 Kettering S Jn 2 28 68 13.59 69 28 Burton Latimer 3 28 88/94 15.91 67 02 Harrowdean Jn 4 58 97 17.89 65 04 WELLINBOROUGH 6.5 7 31

Milepost 36¾ -287- January 2016

Table 6 Miles Location m s Speed Date Fri16 Aug 2013 10.24 Ford Bridge 9 53 84/85 Train 12.31 Leominster 11 35 83 1716 Cardiff-Holyhead 15.83 Berrington 13 40 93/91 Motive Power 67002 18.93 Woofferton 15 42 92 Load 5:200/205 23.55 Ludlow 18 54 82 Weather Bright, sunny 25.81 Bromfield 20 29 87/86 Recorder G A M Wood 28.20 Onibury 22 17 73/75 Position /Gps 2 of 5 30.19 Stokesay 23 42 87 Miles Location m s Speed 31.11 Craven Arms 24 22 92/89 0.00 Hereford 0 00 (-12.5) 33.59 Ub (179 44) 25 56 92 1.04 Barr Court Ob 2 07 35.69 Marsh Brook LC 27 32 81 1.74 Shelwick Jn 3 30 71 38.30 Church Stretton 29 21 92 4.24 Moreton-on-Lugg 5 23 83/74 40.04 Dudgely Ob 30 32 82/94 5.65 Wellington LC 6 28 92 44.61 Donnington Ob 33 44 69 7.54 Dinmore 7 43 81 46.74 Condover Bíng 35 22 92 8.21 Dinmore T''l (out) 64 50.25 Sutton Bridge Box 38 30 29* 51.06 Shrewsbury a 41 00 (-10.5) , Table 7 Run 1 Date 15-Sep-15 Train 1315 MYB-Moor St Loco 68014 Load 7,262/268 Recorder/Pos/GPS J Heaton 2/8 Y miles m c Location m s mph 0.00 109 24 Warwick P'way d 0 00 0.74 110 00 Budbrook 1 25 51 1.70 111 00 Mp 2 38 69 2.86 112 15 Hatton 3 24 79/99 7.10 116 33 Lapworth 6 07 96/100 9.67 118 78 Dorridge 7 41 98 11.52 120 66 Widney Manor 8 48 99 13.00 122 24 Solihull a 10 34

Run 2 3 Date 2015 14-Oct-15 Train xx55 Moor St-MYB 1044 Moor St-MYB Loco 68xxx 67014 Load 7,273/285 7,337/345 Recorder/Pos/GPS D Adams 3/8 Y J Rishton 3/8 Y miles m c Location m s mph m s mph 0.00 122 24 Solihull 0 00 (RT) 0 00 (-1) 1.47 120 66 Widney Manor 2 11 74 2 00 81 2.77 119 42 Bentley Heath 3 07 90 2 54 95 3.33 118 78 Dorridge 3 29 94 3 15 99 4.80 117 40 Chapel Lane Ob 4 22 100/103 5.89 116 33 Lapworth 5 01 97/98 4 47 100 7.61 114 55 Finwood Rd Ob 6 03 88*/102 9.52 112 62 Hatton N Jn 7 04 84 10.11 112 15 Hatton 7 39 95/86*/89 7 29 83 11.35 110 76 Footbridge 8 23 83 12.30 110 00 Budbrook 9 07 81* 13.00 109 24 Warwick P'way 10 11 10 04

For Table 8 we have a brief snippet from John Heaton between Feniton and Pinhoe, which John noted as being a fill in of a blank space on the Wessex FT Table.

Milepost 36¾ -288- January 2016

Table 8 Loco 159101 Load 3/116/124 Train 09.20 Waterloo-Exeter S. D. Date 28/8/15 Recorder/Pos J. Heaton 3/3 Miles M. C. Timing Point WTT Min Sec M.P.H. Ave 0 00 159 23 Feniton d. d. 0 0 0 7L 1.71 161 0 MP161 <2½> 2 16 69/87 46.6 3.74 163 2 Whimple 3 50 86/87 77.6 5.96 165 20 Crannaford 5 25 80 84.3 7.40 166 55 Broadclyst 6 29 82/84 80.9 9.21 168 40 Pinhoe 11 8 19 83 59.3 . Table 9 Train 06.55 Skipton-Kings Cross Date Sat 12th Sept 2015 Locos 43206/272 Table 9 returns to a ECML service Load 9/447/453 recorded by Derek Wilson between Weather Raining Shipley and Leeds. Derek comments: The Recorder/Pos/Gps D Wilson train arrived 4 minutes early at Keighley miles Location m s mph and proceeded at almost excessive speed 0.00 Shipley d 0 0 (although within the PSR’s) for reasons 1.53 Thackley T'l N 2 11 82 unknown. It was unusual to have clear 2.39 Thackley T'l S 2 50 87 path into Leeds. 3.93 Apperley Jn 4 9 88 7.70 Kirkstall Ob 24 6 57 77 10.79 Leeds a P8 10 54

Finally Table 10 has a run recorded by Brian Milner with the 07 55 Inverness-KX HST being diverted via Ladybank and Kirkcaldy, south of Perth. Brian comments: The diversion via Newburgh and Ladybank was a surprise – I had not expected it to happen on a Saturday morning. A good run finishing three minutes early, thanks to the three minutes spare in the schedule. We could have been faster once on the main line but clearly there was no need to hurry.

Table 10 Miles M C Location HST9 m s mph aver Date 24-May-14 11.95 5 60 Milepost 15 06.5 63/ 66 61.1 Train 0755 Inverness-KX 13.95 3 60 Milepost 16 59.0 63/ 68 64.0 Loco 43308/43316 15.95 1 60 Milepost 18 54.5 53 62.3 Load 9,307,340/445 17.75 39 06 LADYBANK 23.5 21 09.5 43 48.0 Recorder, position B Milner 2/11 19.83 37 00 Milepost 23 35.5 60/ 70 51.2 Lochmuir Miles M C Location HST9 m s mph aver 21.83 35 00 Smt 25 24.0 68/ 67 66.4 0.00 151 20 PERTH 4 0.0 0 00.0 RT 23.58 33 20 MARKINCH 28.5 26 54.0 77 70.0 1.00 150 20 Milepost 3 20.0 27/ 40 18.0 [0.5] 2.03 45 61 Hilton Jn SB 4.0 5 08.5 30 34.0 26.05 30 62 Thornton NJ 30.5 28 53.5 72 74.6 4.65 13 04 Oudenarde 1 8 21.0 56 49.1 [0.5] 6.70 11 00 Milepost 10 15.0 66 64.7 26.53 30 24 Thornton SJ 31.5 29 18.0 67/ 50 69.8 8.70 9 00 Milepost 12 04.0 67/ 71 66.1 28.28 28 44 Boreland FB 31 08.5 54 57.0 10.05 7 52 Newburgh 13.5 13 14.5 65/ 58 68.9 29.83 27 00 Milepost [2.0] 32 44.5 62 58.1 30.95 25 70 KIRKCALDY 38.0 34 49.0 3.0 E 32.5

My thanks again to all those members who have contributed runs over the past few months. As usual electronic files of runs in Word, Excel or Works files are preferred but old fashioned paper copies of runs are perfectly acceptable. My email and postal address are included in the Committee’s details on the inside cover page of Milepost.

Milepost 36¾ -289- January 2016

HOW FAST TO LEICESTER?

Frank Collins

Performance on the Midland moved onto a different level with the 125mph upgrade a couple of years ago; and with its intense service – especially interworking with the Thameslink trains at the southern end – awkward gradient profile and now highly complex and intricate speed profile, the Midland Main Line has moved into the Premier League of ‘driver’s roads’ in the UK.

Many new Fastest Times have of course been set on this route over the last couple of years, but I have been very fortunate to have experienced three exceptional runs over the line within the space of a few weeks of one another over the course of last summer. Run 1 has appeared in Milepost before, but I have corrected the obvious error in the speed through Bedford station. To start with it seemed fairly unexceptional; a decent start out of St Pancras, but then running steadily, keeping close to line speeds, with a clear road throughout apart from the very slight tsr after Millbrook. Clearly everything else important must have been running well that morning too; as the MTD amply demonstrated, the timetabled pathing of trains through the Wigston area leaves very little slack for variation from the plan, and the most remarkable feature of Run 1 therefore is that, having presented itself ahead of time at Wigston, it got a completely clear run through the junction and into Leicester station. The significance of the run therefore was only apparent on stopping at Leicester to record the first known run under the hour from St Pancras. But what this run perhaps highlights too is not only the tightness of the basic schedule, but that of the pathing too, and therefore the significance that minor signal checks have on the day to day operations. Recording a time of under the hour feels like a milestone to us recorders – the first time it has been done in 18 months of operations to the new speed profile despite two opportunities to do so every hour for much of the day on a virtually daily basis – and yet, the run did not beat the net schedule, even making allowance for the Millbrook slack

Runs 2 and 3 both come from the MTD weekend. Run 2 is from the Friday evening and a slight change of plan enforced by disruptions earlier. The 18.57 departure is unusual in that while non stop St Pancras – Market Harborough runs feature most hours during the day, most are the preserve of HSTs; this is one of the very few that are Meridian worked. To start with, the run again seemed fairly unremarkable; comparison with run 1 shows a very similar pattern of driving after a start that was a few seconds slower. Run 2 then of course fell well behind with the tsr just north of Wellingborough. Nevertheless, a good finish followed – note that the pass to stop time from Desborough summit was only 30 seconds more than the pass to pass of run 1. The result though was the first ever 100 mph start-to-stop time recorded on the Midland. There are not that many sections of this route where that should be possible – but what is also certain is that given a clear road and the right circumstances, there is plenty of room for improvement on this time within the current speed profile; a time of around 48 1/2 mins ought to be possible.

With memories of this first 100 mph run still fresh in the mind, the following morning I was on the 08.58 service. Careful comparison with the previous two columns shows that this was definitely ‘the one that got away’. The start from St Pancras was very impressive; we were a minute up on schedule by West Hampstead and inside even time by Cricklewood. From there the superlatives about the driving just keep on coming; running hard, very precisely to the limits. By Sharnbrook Summit we were 37 seconds up on run 1. The tsr after Wellingborough obviously cost us; at Kettering we were 7.5 seconds behind. We continued to gain from the hard running, and were back ahead by Market Harborough, and 18 seconds ahead at Kilby Bridge, despite the extra slack. Unfortunately, we were now presenting ourselves in the Leicester area about 1.5 minutes ahead of time, and we did not

Milepost 36¾ -290- January 2016

have the good fortune of the June run, so received a severe signal check approaching Wigston from a service taking the Birmingham line.

Run 1 2 3 Date Sat 06/06/2015 Fri 17/07/2015 Sat 18/07/2015 Train 0958 St Pancras-Sheffield 1857 St Pancras-Sheffield 0858 St Pancras-Sheffield Loco 222.005 222006 222001 Load formation 7 7 7 Recorder F G Collins F G Collins F G Collins Position/ GPS 4/7 - no 3/7 / no 4/7 / no M C Timing Point Sch. m s mph ave Sch. m s mph ave Sch. m s mph ave 0 17 ST. PANCRAS 0.0 0 00.0 0.0 0 00.0 0.0 0 00.0 0 60 Dock JS 1.5 1 33.5 20.9 1.5 1 38.0 - /RBT 20.0 1.5 1 24.5 23.2 1 47 KENTISH TOWN 3.0 2 31.0 64 52.4 3.0 2 39.5 49.0 3.0 2 18.0 56.4 2 06 Carlton Road J 3.5 3.5 3 06.5 65.0 3.5 2 43.0 70.2 3 73 W HAMPSTEAD 5.0 4 25.5 83 24.9 5.0 4 30.0 82 79.2 5.0 4 03.5 88 82.2 5 11 CRICKLEWOOD 6.0 5 14.5 90.0 6.0 5 20.0 93 88.2 6.0 4 50.0 100/108 94.8 6 78 HENDON 7.0 6 20.5 105 100.2 7.0 6 26.0 106 100.2 7.0 5 53.5 102 104.2 9 29 MILL HILL 8.5 7 41.0 110/111 106.8 8.5 7 46.0 110 107.4 8.5 7 14.5 110 106.1 12 39 ELSTREE 10.0 9 20.5 113.1 10.0 9 28.0 110 110.3 10.0 8 54.5 112.5 15 17 RADLETT 10 44.5 126/127 116.8 10 51.5 125 117.5 10 17.5 127 118.2 18 20 Napsbury 12 13.0 108 123.6 12 20.0 118 123.6 11 47.5 111 121.5 19 73 ST. ALBANS 13.5 13 10.0 105.0 13.5 13 18.0 101 103.2 13.5 12 43.5 100 106.9 21 18 Sandridge SS 13 57.0 108/115 100.5 14 04.5 105/110 101.6 13 29.0 107/115 103.8 24 53 HARPENDEN 16.0 15 46.5 108 113.0 16.5 15 57.5 109.5 16.0 15 19.5 113 112.0 27 22 Chiltern Green 17 17.0 99 103.9 17 27.0 104 105.1 16 49.0 103 105.1 29 16 LUTON A/P PKY 19.0 18 31.0 91 93.6 19.5 18 39.0 94 96.3 19.0 18 00.5 94 96.9 30 20 LUTON 19.5 19 12.0 92.2 20.0 19 20.0 91 92.2 19.5 18 41.0 90 93.3 32 62 LEAGRAVE 21.0 20 43.0 110 99.9 21.5 20 51.5 109 99.3 21.0 20 10.5 110/127 101.6 37 21 HARLINGTON 23.0 22 58.5 125/126 119.2 23.5 23 08.5 125 117.9 23.0 22 24.5 126 120.6 40 16 FLITWICK 24.5 24 22.5 125 125.9 25.0 24 33.0 126 125.1 24.5 23 48.5 126 125.9 42 19 Ampthill TS 25 21.0 128 125.4 25 32.0 126 124.3 24 47.0 127 125.4 43 60 Millbrook 26 04.5 127/t113 125.2 26 15.5 125/t110 125.2 25 30.5 125/t113 125.2 47 02 Elstow 27 43.5 122 119.1 27 55.0 123/125 118.5 27 09.5 123/124 119.1 48 60 Bedford SJ 30.0 28 33.5 125 124.2 30.5 28 45.0 124 124.2 30.0 27 59.5 124 124.2 49 70 BEDFORD 30.5 29 09.0 110 114.1 31.0 29 20.5 110 114.1 30.5 28 34.5 110 115.7 50 40 Bedford NJ 29 29.0 114 112.5 29 40.5 113 112.5 28 54.5 114 112.5 52 77 Oakley 30 47.0 121/123 113.7 30 56.0 119/124 117.4 30 09.5 120/126 118.2 56 55 Sharnbrook J 34.5 32 36.0 110 123.0 35.0 32 48.0 110 119.7 34.5 32 01.0 113 120.3 59 60 Sharnbrook Smt 34 16.5 111 109.7 34 28.0 110 110.3 33 39.0 113 112.5 62 50 Irchester 35 41.0 126 122.5 35 53.5 125 121.1 35 03.0 127 123.2 65 04 WELLINGBORO 39.0 37 14.0 82/80 93.9 39.5 37 26.5 -/ tsr 53 93.9 39.0 36 37.0 74/t55 92.9 67 02 Harrowden J 40.0 38 32.0 101 91.2 40.5 39 23.0 80 61.0 40.0 38 26.0 80 65.2 69 28 Burton Latimer 39 51.0 110/113 105.9 40 51.5 107 94.6 39 55.5 104/110 93.5 70 58 Kettering S J 42.5 40 38.0 104 105.3 43.0 41 38.5 105.3 42.5 40 42.5 100/90 105.3 71 78 KETTERING 43.0 41 22.5 97 101.1 43.5 42 26.0 95 94.7 43.0 41 30.0 97 94.7 74 02 Kettering NJ 44.0 42 36.5 101 99.7 45.0 43 41.5 100 97.7 44.0 42 42.5 105 101.8 75 45 Glendon 43 30.0 106/108 103.5 44 34.5 109 104.4 43 34.0 110 107.5 78 40 Desborough N 45 10.5 100/109 105.2 46 14.5 100/110 105.8 45 13.5 99/113 106.3 82 75 MKT HARBORO 49.5 48 08.0 59 90.0 51.0 49 39.0 78.1 49.5 48 04.5 60* 93.4 86 40 East Langton 50 38.5 102/101 85.2 50 30.5 101 87.8 88 76 Kibworth 52 05.5 102 101.4 51 54.5 108 105.0 89 54 Kibworth North 52 31.5 100 100.4 52 18.5 107 108.7 91 43 Great Glen 53 37.5 100 101.6 53 19.5 109.9 93 39 Kilby Bridge J 56.0 54 47.0 101 101.0 56.0 54 29.0 100/sigs 101.0 95 38 Wigston S Jn 56 01.5 96.0 56 42.5 v sev 53.6 96 02 Wigston NJ 57.5 56 25.0 83/96 84.3 57.5 57 55.5 53/81 27.1 98 02 Knighton TS 57 44.5 90.6 59 31.0 75.4 99 06 LEICESTER 61.5 59 50.0 30.1 61.5 61 23.0 33.7

Milepost 36¾ -291- January 2016

Official records therefore will merely show that the 08.58 from St Pancras that day arrived in Leicester precisely to time – all of course that the timetable demands. The log of run 3 however shows that this was a wholly exceptional run; if the only check had been the Millbrook tsr, we were on course to have taken at least a minute out of the June 6th record with a time comfortably less than 59 minutes; and making an allowance of say 15 seconds for the Millbrook restriction, we could have been close to 58 ½ minutes.

Commercially of course there is an attraction in being able to advertise London-Leicester with a one-hour schedule. At the moment, one-hour runs are clearly possible – but not possible to reliably schedule; I would suggest another 90-120 seconds needs to come out of the running times before that can safely happen. The proposed realignment through Market Harborough will clearly help towards that, and the planned flyover at Wigston will be a very substantial aid to reliable pathing – will those be enough for the one-hour schedule, or will this need to await the acceleration power of electric traction?

THE (NOT SO) GREAT BRITAIN 2015

Sandy Smeaton

There is no need here to describe again the impact of the 7 March Wootton Bassett SPAD on GB 8, as it has been adequately covered in the regular railway periodicals. However, although it was hardly compensation for the lack of steam haulage, two interesting diesel workings occurred during the tour. The first included a failure which resulted in unusual manoeuvres to clear the WCML and ‘rescue’ the failure, the second was a rare run over the WCML behind a Class 67.

On Day 4 of the tour, Friday 1 May, we were booked to leave Oxenholme at 1313 for Edinburgh. As morning entertainment, RTC organised a sail down Lake Windermere, followed by a trip behind the Lakeside & Haverthwaite’s 0-6-0T No. 1245, which was all very enjoyable on a sunny Lake District day. It should be noted that RTC tried very hard to stitch together the surviving pieces of a disintegrating tour. They were not to blame for the disintegration.

Just before No. 67018 and the 11 coach set were due to arrive in Oxenholme it was announced that the loco had failed in the down loop south of the station where it had recessed. Eventually it drew into the platform and left for Edinburgh 47 minutes late. All was not well with 67018 however, as it struggled up to only 32 mph before MP21 and then slowly came to a rest near MP22. The driver managed to restart the Class 67, only for it to fail completely near MP23. By a stroke of luck, the 1052 Fiddler's Ferry - Hunterston empty MGR hauled by Freightliner’s No. 66551 was running behind us. It may have been necessary to loop a Pendolino or Voyager to get the MGR immediately behind us, but 66551 eventually, and gingerly, buffered up to our rear and after coupling up pushed the now combined load of over 1,000 tons the three miles into Grayrigg loop on slow speed setting at a very precise 5 mph. 66551 then un-coupled and reversed out of the loop and continued north. In the meantime DBS's No. 66109 had been sent from Carlisle to Oxenholme, returning on the down main and then backing onto the failed 67018. Meanwhile, some of the queue which had formed on the down main while all this was taking place cleared north.

When 66109 was eventually released from Grayriigg loop, dragging the disgraced 67018 and 11 coaches grossing about 520 tons, GB8 was about 187 minutes late. Shap was climbed from a maximum of 71 mph at MP31½ falling to a minimum of 47½ mph before the summit. Between MPs 33 and 37 the Class 66 was producing about 2,500 edbhp. Time recovery downhill was obviously hampered by the loco’s 75 mph limit. After being looped at Penrith and making the booked stop at Carlisle, we left the latter 199 minutes down, the

Milepost 36¾ -292- January 2016

Date Fri 1.5.15 Pt Ms Ch LOCATION Sch Mn Sc Speeds Train 1z60 13.13 Oxenholme - Edinburgh 3 10 20 Quintinshill 11 28 72 Locomotive Pt 1 67018 3,200hp Bo-Bo " 12 00 MP 12 54 73½ Load 11 coaches/ 400/ 430 " 13 00 Kirkpatrick 13 43 72½ Locomotive Pt 2 66551 3,200 hp Co-Co " 14 40 Minor summit 14 57 73½/75½ Load 67018 + 11 coaches + " 16 00 MP 16 09 74½ 21 HTA's/1043/1073 " 16 60 Kirtlebridge 16 45 75½/76 Locomotive Pt 3 66109 3,200 hp Co-Co " 18 00 MP 17 45 73½ Load 67018 + 11 coaches/489/519 " 20 17 Ecclefechan 19 33 74 Weather Cool, sunny periods and dry " 21 00 MP 20 11 75 Recorder A.Smeaton/GPS " 22 00 Castlemilk (MP) 21 00 74½ Position 5th coach " 23 00 MP 21 47 78½ Pt Ms Ch LOCATION Sch Mn Sc Speeds " 25 67 LOCKERBIE 29/60 23 59 75 1 19 08 OXENHOLME 0 0 00 ~ 47L " 28 55 Nethercleugh 26 15 76 " 20 00 MP 2 48 28 " 31 60 Dinwoodie 28 41 74 " 21 00 " 4 47 33 " 33 40 MP 30 06 76½/77 " 21 75 Loco part fail 7 43 ~ " 34 40 Wamphray 30 53 76½ " ~ ~ " " " 17 12 ~ " 37 00 Murthat (MP) 32 54 73 " 22 40 MP 20 19 17 " 39 60 Beattock 77 35 09 74 " 22 70 Loco total fail 22 32 ~ " 41 00 MP 36 12 68½ 2 ~ ~ " " 53 39 ~ " 42 00 " 37 07 63 " 23 00 MP 55 28 5 " 43 00 " 38 07 58 " 24 00 " 67 27 5 " 44 00 " 39 12 54 " 25 00 " 79 26 5 " 45 00 Greskine (MP) 40 21 49½ " 26 00 " 91 28 5 " 46 00 MP 41 35 47 " 26 14 Grayrigg RR 9 93 30 5 131L " 47 00 Harthope 42 54 45 " 26 15 Grayrigg loop 93 56 ~ " 48 00 MP 44 15 44½ 3 " " " " 149 27 ~ 187L " 49 00 " 45 37 43½ " 27 00 MP 152 57 35 " 49 60 Beattock Smt 92 46 39 47 " 28 00 " 154 17 52 " 51 47 Bodsbury LC 48 22 78½ " 29 00 " 155 20 57/55½ Brake " 52 49 Elvanfoot 49 09 74½/71½/78½ " 30 00 " 156 24 60 test? " 55 08 Crawford 51 08 77 " 31 40 " 157 46 71 " 57 69 Abington 101 53 30 Tsr 51½/50 " 32 17 Tebay RR 16/31 158 22 70½ 174L " 62 00 MP 57 18 77 " 33 00 MP 159 03 69 " 63 20 Lamington 58 16 76 " 34 00 " 159 58 62 " 65 00 MP 59 40 74/73½ " 35 12 Scout Green 161 08 55 " 66 49 Symington 60 57 76 " 36 00 MP 162 06 51½ " 68 40 Thankerton 62 26 81 " 37 00 " 163 18 48½ " 70 00 Leggatfoot (MP) 63 41 60 " 37 20 " 163 37 48/47½ " 71 48 Pettinain 65 48 Sigs 38½ " 37 50 Shap Summit 164 04 52 " 73 16 Carstairs South Jn 116 69 05 Psr 11½/8½ " 39 58 Shap 166 02 73 " 73 61 Carstairs East 120 71 35 27 " 41 53 Harrison's Sdg 167 37 75½/74 " 75 00 Carnwath (MP) 73 07 39½ " 43 00 Thrimby Gr 168 42 74½ " 76 40 MP 74 57 58 " 45 00 MP 170 18 76½/70 " 77 76 Ampherlaw (OB) 76 16 69/70½ " 47 00 Clifton (MP) 171 56 73½ " 79 34 Auchengray 125 77 33 69½ " 50 43 Penrith dn lp 179 21 ~ " 81 00 MP 78 55 68 " " " " " 198 01 ~/12 " 82 40 Cobbinshaw Smt 80 17 65 " 51 20 PENRITH 55½ 202 18 7 194L " 85 03 Torphin PC 82 21 77/74½/77 " 55 00 MP 208 09 75 " 88 38 Linhouse Via W 85 09 Psr 71 " 56 00 Plumpton 208 57 71½/68½ " 90 08 Midcalder Jn 137 ½ 86 28 72½ " 58 31 Calthwaite 210 58 76/76½ " 90 73 KIRKNEWTON 87 10 70½ " 61 60 Southwaite 213 39 75½/74 " 94 21 Ravelrig Rd OB 89 57 76½/77½ " 64 15 Wreay 215 36 76/77 " 95 40 CURRIEHILL 90 55 74/74½ " 68 00 Upperby 222 08 Sigs 7/15 " 97 16 WESTER HAILES 92 18 71½ " 68 69 PSB 225 52 13½ " 98 01 KINGSKNOWE 146 93 00 66½ " 69 08 CARLISLE P1 75 227 05 ~ 199L " 99 00 SLATEFORD 94 00 47½/Sigs 20 " 0 60 Caldew Jn 2 30 24½ " 100 41 Haymarket East Jn 150 ~ ~ ~ " 2 06 Kingmoor 4 30 53 " 46 00 HAYMARKET 97 31 21½/ Sigs " 6 07 Floriston 8 00 75½/73½ " 0 45 Haymarket Tnl E 100 29 ~ " 8 60 Gretna Jn 11½ 10 12 71 " 0 04 WAVERLEY P8 156 104 19 147L

Milepost 36¾ -293- January 2016

worst statistic of the day. However, the run to Edinburgh was blessed with no further pathing stops and final arrival was 174 minutes late. Beattock was passed marginally below the loco’s maximum at 74 mph with a minimum of 43½ at MP49, again requiring about 2,500 edbhp throughout.

North of Edinburgh tour participants used regular service trains until Day 8, Tuesday 5th when they rejoined the 11 coach set at Stirling, headed this time by No. 67015 for the run south to Grange-over-Sands.

Date: Tue 5.5.15 Ms Ch LOCATION Sch Mn Sc Speeds Train: 1057 Stirling-Grange-over-Sands 54 00 MP 5 35 57½ Locomotive: 67015 3,200 hp Bo-Bo 53 00 " 6 35 64 Load: 11 coaches/ 400/ 425 52 49 Elvanfoot 6 57 67/69 Weather: Raining throughout 51 48 Bodsbury 7 51 66 Recorder/Method: A.Smeaton/GPS 51 00 MP 8 24 65½ Position: 6/12 50 00 " 9 19 63½ Ms Ch LOCATION Sch Mn Sc Speeds 49 59 Beattock Summit 10 9 34 65 118 24 STIRLING (Pl 6) 0 0 00 T 48 00 MP 10 56 83 47 00 Harthope Viaduct 11 41 78½ 89 35 MOTHERWELL 57 ½ 59 50 20½ 46 00 MP 12 26 82/76½ 89 00 PSB (MP) 60 44 36 45 11 Greskine 13 06 80/84½ 87 60 SHIELDMUIR 62 25 51½ 44 00 MP 13 57 72½ 86 32 Wishaw South 63 52 56½/57½/56½ 43 00 " 14 45 80/71 84 60 Garriongill Jn 65 37 57½ 41 00 " 16 21 79½/81½/75 84 00 Law Jn 65 ½ 66 31 Tsr 44 39 60 Beattock 17 ½ 17 19 77 82 44 Mauldslie Road 68 13 56 37 00 " 19 26 79½ 81 75 CARLUKE 68 52 56½ 36 00 " 20 11 82/82½ 80 60 Braidwood 70 08 58 34 40 Wamphray 21 18 80½/78½ 80 00 MP 70 53 61½ 33 40 MP 22 03 79 79 00 " 71 51 63 31 60 Dinwoodie 23 18 87 78 36 Craigenhill 72 22 65½ 31 00 MP 23 49 89 77 00 MP 73 34 79½/83 28 55 Nethercleuch 25 24 86½ 76 00 Lanark Jn 76 74 18 82 27 00 MP 26 47 40 73 48 CARSTAIRS 79 76 04 82½ 25 50 Lockerbie Up Loop 28 30 26 1L 73 00 MP 76 30 84 25 40 MP 0 43 19/32/Tsr 24 72 00 " 77 14 79½ 25 00 " 1 46 28 71 00 " 78 01 75 24 00 " 3 39 46½ 70 00 Leggatfoot 78 49 73½/83 23 00 " 4 48 57 68 40 Thankerton 79 57 82½ 22 00 Summit 5 47 65 67 40 MP 80 43 76 20 17 Ecclefechan (SS) 7 14 84½ 66 49 Symington 81 24 78½/78 19 00 MP 8 03 92/93 64 00 MP 83 23 80½ 18 00 " 8 42 92 63 20 Lamington 83 57 80 16 60 Kirtlebridge 9 32 88½/87 62 00 MP 84 55 77 14 40 MP 11 04 88/90½ 61 00 " 85 41 77½ 13 00 Kirkpatrick 15 ½ 12 04 90 59 00 " 87 34 25½ 10 20 Quintinshill (MP) 13 56 86½ 57 75 Abington UPL 93 91 01 1L 8 60 Gretna Jn 18 ½ 15 00 84½/87 57 00 MP 2 14 44 6 07 Floriston 16 52 85½ 56 00 " 3 27 53 2 06 Kingmoor 19 48 70 55 08 Crawford 4 26 57½/57 0 60 Caldew Jn 21 14 49 0 00 CARLISLE (Pl 3) 28 ½ 23 57 3E

As there were delays just south of Stirling due to a signal failure and the running between there and Motherwell was relatively uninspiring due to an undemanding schedule, this section has been omitted from the log below. Despite the delays and a six minute stand alongside Motherwell TMD, the station was passed only 2½ minutes late. Craigenhill Summit was passed at a moderate 65½ mph after acceleration from 44 at Law Junction. On the level after Carstairs 84 mph was reached with Leggatfoot minor summit passed at 73½. No more than 80½ was required to reach Abington loop two minutes early.

Milepost 36¾ -294- January 2016

On the restart, speed rose to a maximum of 69 mph on the level at Elvanfoot, falling to 63½ at MP50 before Beattock Summit. This required about 2,300 edbhp, the highest output of the run so far. 89 mph was not reached until MP31, after a relative trundle at around 80 from Beattock, which was a bit too laid back for the schedule as we stopped in Lockerbie loop having dropped 2½ minutes.

After Lockerbie more urgency was shown and accelerating to 65 mph at Castlemilk Summit from the loop required about 2,300 edbhp. Between Ecclefechan and Kirtlebridge speed rose to 93 and then 90 at Kirkpatrick. This was enough to better the schedule by 4½ minutes, stopping in Carlisle 3½ early.

Of the two runs, No. 66109 was called upon to work nearest its maximum output on the climbs to Shap and Beattock summits to recover lateness, but being a freight loco was handicapped by its 75 mph limit on the easier gradients. The schedule did not really demand much of No. 67015 and it only had to make a brief effort after Elvanfoot. The remarkable aspect of No. 66551’s work was the precision of its slow speed control. It takes 12 (painful) minutes per mile at 5 mph and the maximum variation was no more than two seconds or 0.3%.

There was some irony in this year’s chaos that a diesel failed and had to be rescued, when on previous GB (and North Briton) expeditions worked by steam no total failure has occurred. There has been late running due to minor defects, poor steaming or poor rail conditions, the latter mainly on the Kyle line, but no steam locomotive has failed to reach its booked destination. I draw no conclusion from this, and simply make the observation.

Glasgow to Cumbernauld Electrification

Martin Robertson

The Glasgow to Cumbernauld services have recently been taken over by electric traction as part of the ongoing electrification of the Glasgow-Edinburgh-Dunblane services. Cumbernauld was until recently rarely served by train services but now enjoys four trains an hour to Glasgow. These comprise an hourly Glasgow Queen St to Falkirk Grahamston service, which at the time of writing the article is still worked by diesel traction. An hourly Cumbernauld to Dalmuir service via Motherwell, Glasgow Central and the Yoker loop, integrated with the suburban services, continues the link with the Motherwell area. Finally there are two Cumbernauld to Dalmuir services via Springburn, Queen St Low level and the Yoker loop.

From Glasgow Queen St the line climbs the Cowlairs incline before taking the recently opened chord to drop down to Sprinburn. From Springburn the route joins the former exit from Glasgow Buchanan Street with a sharp ascent to Robroyston. Thereafter the line is generally level with a 70 mph line limit, other than the 40 mph restriction over Garnqueen North Junction.

Table 1 comprises four runs from Glasgow or Springburn to Cumbernauld or Greenfaulds. An exit at Greenfaulds allows one to return with the DMU forming the Falkirk Grahamston to Glasgow Queen St service. Run 1 features an excellent Class 158 unit, with the 38.5 mph speed on the Cowlairs incline better than most Class 170 units can manage. From Sprinburn the initial half mile is restricted to 15/25 mph before the 70 mph line speed commences at the junction to the former St Rollox Works. Full power was in use until around Bogside Road, before being eased for the Stepps stop.

Milepost 36¾ -295- January 2016

The short section to Gartcosh only allows speed to marginally exceed 60 mph before braking for the stop at Gartcosh. From Gartcosh a DMU is unlikely to reach 60, before braking for the restriction at Garnqueen North Junction. The 70 mph line speed can be easily reached after Gain Road Ob and maintained until braking for the stop at Greenfaulds. The final section to Cumbernauld is too short to provide any performance interest.

Table 1: Glasgow-Cumbernauld Run 1 2 3 4 Date 22-Feb-14 03-Jan-15 31-Dec-14 03-Jan-15 Train - to Cumbernauld 1252 Glasgow 8 or 10 52 Glasgow 1138 Dalmuir 0847 Garscadden Loco 158781 156514 334003 318253 Load 2/74/75 2/71/71 3/122/124 3/108/108 Recorder, pos/GPS MDR, 1/2 Y MDR 1/2 Y MDR 1/3 Y MDR 1/3 Y Weather Cold dry Cold dry Cold dry Cold dry miles m c Location m s mph ave m s mph ave m s mph ave m s mph ave 0.00 0 05 Queen St (PI) 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.12 0 15 Tunnel in 0 42.0 17 10.3 0 42.5 5 10.2 0.69 0 60 Tunnel out 2 09.0 35 23.6 2 22.0 22 20.6 1.19 1 20 Keppochhill Rd 2 58.5 38.5/18 36.4 3 41.0 24 22.8 1.25 1 25 Cowlairs S Jn 0 00 1.62 0 30 Sighthill W Jn 4 10.5 24* 21.5 4 55.5 25* 20.8 0 33 1.77 0 45 Springburn a 4 43.5 16.4 5 33.0 14.4 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.14 0 56 Sighthill E Jn 103 47 rbt? 0.40 103 26 Petershill Rd OB 1 45.0 16* 13.7 1 38.6 23* 14.6 1 36.0 19* 15.0 1 37.5 18* 14.8 0.59 103 11 Rail UB 2 15.5 25* 22.4 2 07.0 23* 24.1 2 06.0 23* 22.8 2 08.0 22*/rbt 22.4 1.21 102 41 Broomfiled Rd (N) OB 3 14.0 47 38.2 3 17.0 40.5 31.9 3 07.5 51 36.3 3 12.0 51 34.9 1.54 102 15 M80 UB (C're) 3 37.0 51 51.7 3 44.0 44 44.0 3 27.5 60 59.4 3 33.5 56 55.3 1.94 101 63 OB 4 03.5 55 54.3 4 14.5 47 47.2 3 49.5 66 65.5 3 58.5 57 57.6 2.76 100 77 Bogside Rd OB 4 53.5 66.5 59.0 5 12.5 59.5 50.9 4 33.0 68 67.9 4 45.0 68 63.5 3.61 100 09 Cumbenauld Rd OB 5 44.0 47 60.6 6 14.5 49.4 5 24.0 39br 60.0 5 35.5 46br 60.6 3.92 99 64 STEPPS a 6 29.0 24.8 7 09.0 20.5 6 15.5 21.7 6 20.0 25.1 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.36 99 35 OB 0 51.5 42 25.2 0 55.0 38 23.6 0 42.5 47 30.5 0 46.0 54 28.2 0.87 98 74 Woodhead Rd OB 1 29.5 56.5 48.3 1 35.5 52.5 45.3 1 14.5 67 57.4 1 16.0 67/68 61.2 1.45 98 28 Heathfield 2 03.0 62 62.3 2 12.5 59.5 56.4 1 45.5 68 67.4 1 47.0 66 67.4 2.26 97 43 A752 OB 2 58.0 33br 53.0 3 12.5 33br 48.6 2 36.0 38br 57.7 2 42.5 33br 52.5 2.42 97 30 GARTCOSH a 3 31.5 17.2 3 49.0 15.8 3 07.5 18.3 3 15.0 17.7 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.30 97 06 Gartcosh Jn 0 45.5 23.7 0 46.5 37 23.2 0 37.5 44 28.8 0 37.0 50 29.2 0 00 0.71 0 33 UB 1 16.0 51/57 48.4 1 21.0 46.5/52 42.8 1 04.5 61 54.7 1 03.0 57.5 56.8 1.45 1 12 UB 2 06.0 37 53.3 2 14.5 47br 49.8 1 49.0 51br 59.9 1 53.0 47br 53.3 1.65 1 28 Mains Rd UB 2 26.0 39* 36.0 2 31.5 39* 42.4 2 06.0 39* 42.4 2 11.5 38* 38.9 97 00 2.40 97 60 Greenfoot LC 3 24.0 56 46.6 3 32.5 51 44.3 2 57.0 64 52.9 2 59.0 64/70 56.8 2.82 98 14 Gain Rd OB 3 48.5 64/73 61.7 4 00.0 60 55.0 3 20.0 70 65.7 3 21.5 67 67.2 3.67 99 02 Condorrat Rd OB 4 32.0 71 70.3 4 46.0 70 66.5 4 03.0 70 71.2 4 07.5 64e'd 66.5 4.67 100 02 Auchenkilns Ln UB 5 27.0 63 65.5 5 39.0 60br 67.9 4 55.0 68 69.2 5 08.0 51 59.5 5.17 100 42 GREENFAULDS a 6 25.0 31.0 6 42.0 28.6 5 48.0 34.0 6 04.5 31.9 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.32 100 68 Slip Road OB 0 56.0 32 20.6 0 53.5 29 21.5 0.71 101 19 CUMBERNAULD a 2 19.0 16.9 1 58.5 21.6

Run 2 was made with a Class 156 unit, with the times shown being the better times of the 0822 and 1022 services which were worked by the same unit and crew. The lower power to weight ratio of the Class 156 units is shown in the climb away from Springburn and the

Milepost 36¾ -296- January 2016

accelerations from stations. The schedule was however comfortably maintained, although braking into the stations might have been slightly better.

Run 3 was made with a Class 334 unit and an enthusiastic driver. The overwhelming advantage of electric traction over the former diesels is illustrated in the ascent from Springburn, with the 70 mph line speed almost reached on the on the 1 in 98 upgrade. The other sections featured both brisk accelerations and running up to the line limits. The braking into the stations was no better than average.

Table 2: Cumbernauld – Glasgow Run 5 6 7 8 Date 01-Mar-14 03-Jan-15 12-Dec-14 03-Jan-15 Train 1328 Cumberl'd Glas 1118 Grahamston-Glas 1256 Cumber'ld-Dalmuir 0856 Cumber'ld-Dalmuir Loco 158708 156514 318260 334030 Load 2,74/75 2,71/72 3,108/111 3,122/123 Recorder, pos/GPS MDR 1/2 Y MDR 1/2 Y MDR 1/3 Y MDR 1/3 Y Weather Cold Dry Cold Dry Cold Dry Cold Dry miles m c Location m s mph ave m s mph ave m s mph ave m S mph ave 0.00 101 19 Cumbernauld d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.39 100 68 Slip Road 1 01.5 35 22.8 0 43.0 44 32.7 0.71 100 42 GREENFAULDS 1 52.5 1 31.0 0.00 GREENFAULDS 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.50 100 02 Auchenkilns Lane 0 57.5 53 31.3 1 03.0 48 28.6 0 49.0 63/70 36.7 0 45.0 58.5 40.0 1.50 99 02 Condorrat Rd 1 56.0 70 61.5 2 06.0 65 57.1 1 42.5 67 67.3 1 38.0 71/68 67.9 2.35 98 14 Gain Road 2 40.0 69 69.5 2 51.5 68.5 67.3 2 28.5 66 66.5 2 21.5 70 70.3 2.77 97 60 Greenfoot 3 02.0 68 68.7 3 14.0 67 67.2 2 51.5 64 65.7 2 44.5 66 65.7 3.52 97 00 Garnqueen NJ 3 56.0 39* 50.0 4 10.0 39* 48.2 3 42.5 38* 52.9 3 31.5 41* 57.4 1 28 3.72 1 12 UB 4 13.0 46 42.4 4 29.0 42.5 37.9 4 03.0 49/59 35.1 3 48.5 49/61 42.4 4.46 0 33 UB 5 00.5 63 53.4 5 20.5 57 50.1 4 47.5 57 55.8 4 34.0 60 58.6 4.87 0 00 Gartcosh Jn 5 27.0 43 55.7 5 50.0 39 50.0 5 16.0 42 51.8 4 59.0 51 59.0 97 06 5.17 97 30 GARTCOSH a 6 06.5 27.3 6 38.5 22.3 6 00.0 24.5 5 41.0 25.7 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.16 97 43 A752 OB 0 32.5 33 17.7 0 34.0 29 16.9 0 27.0 36 21.3 0 25.0 36 23.0 0.97 98 28 Heathfield O/A 1 33.5 58 47.8 1 41.5 53.5 43.2 1 17.5 68 57.7 1 19.0 68/70 54.0 1.55 98 74 Woodhead Rd 2 07.0 64 62.3 2 17.5 59 58.0 1 49.5 62 65.3 1 48.5 70.8 45 2.06 99 35 OB76 2 40.0 e'd 55.6 2 51.5 40br 54.0 2 22.5 44br 55.6 2 16.5 54br 65.6 2.42 99 64 STEPPS a 3 38.0 22.3 3 44.5 24.5 3 19.5 22.7 3 06.5 25.9 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.31 100 09 Cumbernauld Rd 0 46.0 40 24.3 0 50.0 36 22.3 0 36.0 46/60 31.0 0 36.5 44 30.6 56 1.16 100 77 Bogside Road 1 45.0 62/67 51.9 1 55.0 57 47.1 1 29.0 e'd 57.7 1 27.5 71 60.0 1.99 101 63 Robroyston Rd 2 30.0 62 66.4 2 43.0 65 62.3 2 19.5 60 59.2 2 11.0 62br 68.7 2.39 102 15 M80 C're 2 53.5 59 61.3 3 06.0 58 62.6 2 42.5 57 62.6 2 33.5 61 64.0 2.71 102 41 Broomfield Rd N 3 14.5 49br 54.9 3 26.0 59 57.6 3 02.5 56br 57.6 2 53.0 55br 59.1 3.34 103 11 Rail UB 4 19.5 25* 34.9 4 25.0 24* 38.4 4 09.0 23* 34.1 3 56.5 25* 35.7 3.52 103 26 Petershill Rd 4 47.0 24* 23.6 4 54.0 23* 22.3 4 39.5 20* 21.2 4 25.0 24* 22.7 3.79 103 47 Sighthill E JN 0 56 vsev 3.92 0 45 SPRINGBURN a 6 00.0 19.7 6 11.0 18.7 6 18.5 14.5 5 42.5 18.6 0.00 d 0 00.0 0 00.0 0.15 0 33 Sighthill W Jn 0 39.0 13* 13.8 0 41.0 17*/10 13.2 0 30 0.52 0 00 Cowlairs S Jn 1 37.0 ss 1 25 9 36.0 0.59 1 20 Keppochhill Rd 10 47.5 25 2.6 2 15.5 22/35 16.8 1.09 0 60 Tunnel (in) 11 54.5 21 26.9 3 13.5 30* 31.0 1.70 0 11 Tunnel (out) 13 36.5 21.5 4 57.0 15 21.2 1.82 0 01 Queen St a 14 33.0 7.6 5 42.0 9.6

Milepost 36¾ -297- January 2016

Run 4 has a Class 318 unit with the driver appearing not to be using full power on the ascent from Springburn. I do not know which unit has the better power to weight ratio, but suspect that the 318 should be the quicker unit, if driven hard. The driver generally braked earlier for the station stops which accounted for most of the difference in section times.

Table 2 features four runs in the eastbound direction. Run 5 had a Class 158 unit with an enthusiastic driver. Speeds were good throughout and the braking into stations was better. We may have been unlucky in the signal stop at Cowlairs South Junction as we were running to time. Run 6 has a run with a Class 156 unit with its lower power again telling on the initial accelerations from the stations. A clear run was obtained through Cowlairs South Junction and into Queen Street.

Run 7 had a Class 318 unit with a driver who after an initial acceleration eased the unit and tended to run slightly below the line speeds. Time was easily maintained before the five minute wait in Springburn to allow the driver to walk from one end of the train to the other.

Run 8 was the best of the runs, with a driver in a hurry, despite the punctual departure from Cumbernauld. A three minute stop at Greenfaulds to allow a disabled passenger access possibly only increased his determination to run as hard as possible. Good speeds throughout and better than average braking into the stations with firm final stops. Through Garnqueen Junction the driver braked late to comply with the 40 mph restriction then immediately re-applied power, rather than coasting through the junction. The times achieved may be hard to better under normal running.

Although a relatively short journey there is ample scope for drivers to demonstrate their skills, although the schedules are generous for electric traction.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2016

The Society AGM will be held on Saturday 21 May 2016 at The Lamb, 94 LAMB’S CONDUIT STREET BLOOMSBURY LONDON, WC1N 3LZ

The Committee will retire, although all are eligible for re-election and members are reminded that nominations for election of the Committee must be received by the Secretary by Saturday 19 March 2016. Nomination forms are available in the members’ area of the website or from the Secretary. Should any member - who is not presently a member of the existing Committee - wish to stand, would they please request a copy of the Companies House form AP01 from the Secretary, to send with their nomination?

If there are more nominations than posts, then candidates will be requested to provide a personal statement, if they so wish, by 31st March 2016

Any resolutions to be debated at the AGM must be received by the Secretary by 02 April 2016.

Full details of the AGM will be included in the April 2016 Milepost and in the members area of the website by 28 April 2016

Milepost 36¾ -298- January 2016

MORE OF MY EARLY TRAIN TIMING EXPERIENCES

John Rishton

The first log in my previous article in the same vein was a run from Birmingham to Paddington. For this extract from my early logs I thought I would retain that theme with logs depicting other everyday experiences of up main line journeys of around 100 miles to London termini, all from roughly 45 years ago.

My first log, Run 1, features the West Coast route with a journey in 1969 from Nuneaton to Euston. The train was from Holyhead and hauled from Crewe by a long-time-withdrawn Class 85. Nuneaton was the only intermediate stop south of Crewe for nearly all Holyhead – Euston trains between WCML electrification in the early 1960s and privatisation in 1997. This was probably to enable connections with services between Birmingham and East Anglia, and thus also with both the Midland and East Coast main lines. Today Nuneaton only has non-stop London services in the peak travel periods and there are no calls by Virgin in the middle of the day. There is, however, an hourly London Midland Class 350 service making two intermediate stops which, timed at 110 mph, covers the journey in 74 minutes.

Run 1 The maximum line Day/Date Monday 6th October 1969 Train 11:55 Holyhead - London Euston speed at the time of the Motive Power Class 85, number unknown run was 100 mph which Load (tons) 11/366/377/460 = 7hp/ton was also the maximum Weather dry allowed for the loco Rec. Pos. GPS J Rishton -?/12 - Stopwatch class. Current Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s speed* avge maximum speeds are 0.00 97 10 Nuneaton 0 00:00 r/time 0.0 125 mph so any

3.12 94 00 milepost 03:57 75 47.4 comparison between

5.76 91 29 Shilton 05:51 91 83.4 this run and the scene 9.05 88 06 Brinklow 8 07:53 100 97.1 12.15 84 78 Little Lawford Lane 09:44 100 100.5 today is not easily 14.62 82 40 Rugby 12.5 11:57 50 66.8 possible. However the 16.12 81 00 milepost 13:13 80 71.0 journey was allowed 76 18.12 79 00 milepost 14:40 86 82.8 minutes in 1969 against 21.12 76 00 milepost 16:40 95 90.0 an advertised 60 24.12 73 00 milepost 18:29 102 99.1 minutes for both of the 25.12 72 00 milepost 19:04 103 102.7 two weekday non-stop

27.47 69 52 Weedon 22 20:38 77 90.0 trains in the current 31.12 66 00 milepost 23:27 82 77.7 32.58 64 43 Banbury Lane 24:27 96 87.6 timetable (of which one 34.26 62 69 Blisworth 27 25:29 98 97.6 is a Class 390 and the 36.11 61 01 Courteenhall Road 26:36 100 99.4 other a Class 221). 37.37 59 60 Roade 29 27:21 101 100.8 Perhaps the most 39.12 58 00 milepost 28:24 99 100.0 telling change in the 40.62 56 40 Hanslope junction 29:18 101 100.0 last 45 years is the 42.31 54 65 Castlethorpe Sta Rd 30:18 102 101.4 almost doubling of the

44.75 52 32 Wolverton 31:59 80 87.0 available horsepower 47.37 49 62 Loughton 33:44 96 89.8 49.50 47 52 Denbigh Hall SJ 35:02 100 98.3 per tonne from seven 50.50 46 52 Bletchley 38 35:39 96 97.2 for a class 85 hauling 53.15 44 00 Stoke Hammond 37:18 97 96.4 11 coaches to almost 58.15 39 00 milepost 40:39 98 90.4 14 for a class 390. 61.03 36 09 Cheddington 42:24 100 98.7 63.16 33 79 Tring cutting 43:42 97 98.3 65.45 31 56 Tring 48.5 45:27 sigs 70 78.5 67.00 30 12 Northchurch 46:36 91 80.9

Milepost 36¾ -299- January 2016

Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s speed* avge The train departed 69.23 27 73 Berkhamsted 48:04 90 91.2 Nuneaton on time

70.93 26 17 Little Heath Lane 49:09 98 94.2 and, compared with 72.66 24 39 Hemel Hempstead 50:12 100 98.9 74.05 23 08 Apsley 51:02 100 100.1 the Class 40 hauled 76.21 20 75 Kings Langley 52:20 100 99.7 services of less than 79.70 17 36 Watford Junction 58 54:35 90 93.1 ten years earlier, 82.42 14 56 Carpenders Park [3] 56:22 94 91.5 rocketed away. From 85.76 11 31 Harrow & W 58:27 98 96.2 near the front of the 89.10 8 04 Wembley Central 60:29 99 98.6 train you could 91.76 5 31 Willesden J 69 62:39 sigs 54 73.7 detect the power 93.50 3 52 Queens Park 64:25 69 59.1 surges as the driver 95.65 1 40 Camden junction 66:32 41 61.0 notched up whilst 97.16 -0 01 London Euston 76 69:58 0 26.4 accelerating. *Speeds generally calculated from milepost sightings as near to timing point as possible.

The start is characterised by a three mile climb at 1 in 320 and it took all of the nine miles to Brinklow to reach 100 mph and then after a further three miles we were commencing slowing for a 50 mph restriction throughout the Rugby area. Today Rugby is passed at 125 mph.

There is a 1 in 370 climb from Rugby up to Kilsby tunnel. Today, passenger trains do not notice it but the ’85 was noticeably slower accelerating away from the Rugby than it was in a similar speed band after leaving Nuneaton and had only made 94 mph by the summit at the south end of Kilsby tunnel. The next section runs parallel to the M1 and almost without exception you could anticipate the highest speed of any up journey to be here. Was it the 1 in 350 falling gradient or was it to show the motorists what train travel was now like? This run was no exception with a maximum of 103 mph near where the two travel to London separate again. Speed was soon falling for the long reverse curves at Weedon. From the log I presume the limit in 1969 was either 75 or possibly 80 mph. With just a 5 mph reduction today for a Pendolino all you notice is the horizon gradually shifting before a more pronounced overcompensation the other way as the centre of the curve is negotiated. The route is now virtually flat to Blisworth and speed rose back to 100 mph. By Blisworth we were running a minute and a half early after a steady gaining of a few seconds here and there. We continued at an average of 100 mph on through Roade and Castlethorpe, so presumably nothing had recently joined the up fast from the Northampton route. We had to brake to 80 mph for the curves around the works at Wolverton whilst today the train can continue at the 125 mph setting on the ‘auto pilot’. We were back to 96 mph, despite the neutral section, by Laughton (a narrow farm bridge over the railway connecting the fields now occupied by the platforms of Milton Keynes station). By Denbigh Hall we were back at 100 mph and soon after we sped through Bletchley almost 2½ minutes early and 50.5 miles in a little over 35½ minutes from Nuneaton.

There is a gap in my timings between Stoke Hammond and close to the new road bridge over the line south of Leighton Buzzard. I presume I must have visited the little compartment at the end of the coach as it is not possible to miss Leighton Buzzard station on an up fast line run, even at night. The average speed over this section was 90 mph so I presume there must have been a limit of 80 mph round the curve and through Linslade tunnel at that time. Again, today braking is not required. We passed Cheddington at line speed but speed started to fall back from the beginning of Tring cutting. However it became apparent this was from a signal check, presumably a train in front diverting to the slow line over the pointwork at Tring. Possibly due to now running slightly early the driver did not attempt to exceed 90 mph when accelerating away from the check as there was the restricted curve at Berkhamstead ahead. Once clear we were soon back to sustained 100 mph running until approaching Watford Junction, now 3½ minutes early.

Milepost 36¾ -300- January 2016

After taking the Watford pointwork and Bushey curve at 90 mph we eased back up to 99 mph, now with three minutes of recovery time under our belt and, probably as a result of early running, we were then checked again at Willesden. By Queens Park we were back up to the now 70 mph limit before slowing for Camden Junction and the descent into Euston. Arrival was seven minutes early. With two moderate signal checks probably costing around one minute plus three minutes recovery time we probably made around five minutes gain on the schedule.

A run of two miles further but on the Midland Main Line, non-stop Leicester to St. Pancras, follows as Run 2. In 1969, as today, this is a diesel worked route but 45 years ago you would have been travelling behind a Type 4, Class 45 loco which I, apparently wrongly, knew as Peaks. Today, nearly all non-stop runs are on Class 222 Meridian diesel units though there is also a non-stop HST service once a day on weekdays. Back in 1969 the non-stop running time was just under 90 minutes and the maximum speed of the loco class was 90 mph. Today just under 70 minutes is the norm but with a 125 mph maximum line speed – in places. As on the West Coast route the power output available to the driver has doubled over the years since my log.

Run 2 There is much talk Day/Date Tuesday 9th December 1969 currently of investment Train 07:20 Sheffield to St. Pancras at Market Harborough Motive Power Class 45, number unknown Load (tons) 10/350/370/505 to ease the curve Weather dry through the station Rec. Pos. GPS J Rishton - ?/11 - Stopwatch and raise the 60 mph Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s s speed* avge existing speed 0.00 99 06 Leicester London Rd 0 00:00 18 late 0.0 restriction. At the time 1.58 97 40 Knighton SJ 02:43 45 34.9 of this run it would 3.05 96 02 Wigston NJ 4.5 04:36 49 46.8 appear the limit was 4.59 94 39 Taylors Lodge 06:13 61 57.1 50 mph. In my opinion 7.09 91 79 Hursts No. 1 08:30 71 65.7 a more pressing 9.33 89 60 Kibworth north 10.5 10:19 75 74.0 10.13 88 76 Kibworth 10:56 81 77.9 investment would be 12.58 86 40 East Langton 12:42 86 83.2 to improve the first 14.58 84 40 Great Bowden 14:05 84 86.8 quarter mile south of 16.14 82 75 Market Harborough 15.5 15:34 51 63.1 Leicester station with 17.30 81 62 Saunts 16:47 60 57.2 its lengthy 15 mph 18.64 80 35 Braybrooke 18:06 62 61.0 restriction. 20.58 78 40 Desborough north 20 19:58 63 62.3

22.29 76 63 Cooke 21:20 87 75.1 Departure from 23.51 75 45 Glendon 22:10 89 87.8 25.50 73 46 Furnace Lane 23:31 88 88.4 Leicester was almost 27.10 71 78 Kettering 25 24:45 71 77.9 18 minutes late as the 28.33 70 60 Kettering SJ 25:41 86 79.1 previous southbound 29.73 69 28 Burton Latimer 26:39 88 86.9 service, The Master 30.89 68 15 Finedon 27:27 86 87.0 Cutler, had failed at 32.83 66 20 Neilsons sidings 29:27 sigs 62 58.2 Syston and, I 34.02 65 04 Wellingborough 30 30:33 66 64.9 presume, my train had 35.45 63 50 Irchester J 31:44 72 72.5 to be diverted to the 36.45 62 50 Irchester 32:34 71 71.9 36.98 62 07 Austins 33:01 70 70.7 slow line to pass. On 38.23 60 68 Wymington 34:06 68 69.3 this run the first 1½ 38.81 60 21 path crossing 34:37 67 67.3 miles took over 2½ 39.32 59 60 Sharnbrook Smt 35 35:05 65 65.7 minutes yet passing 40.73 58 27 Souldrop 36:09 89 79.3 Knighton South in 2 42.38 56 55 Sharnbrook 37:14 92 91.4 minutes 43 seconds 44.07 55 00 Radwell via 38:20 92 92.2 46.11 52 77 Oakley 39:42 87 89.5

Milepost 36¾ -301- January 2016

Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s s speed* avge 47.63 51 34 Oakley junction 40:44 89 88.3 48.56 50 40 Bedford NJ 41:21 90 90.4 49.18 49 70 Bedford Midland Rd 42 41:45 1/2 90 91.1 was one of my faster 49.79 49 21 Kempston Rd J 42:10 90 89.6 timings. I presume there 52.03 47 02 Elstow 43:38 91 91.7 was also a more severe 52.89 46 13 Houghton Conquest 44:12 90 91.0 speed restriction at 55.29 43 60 Millbrook 45:50 86 88.2 Wigston North in 1969 57.41 41 50 Ampthill 47:20 84 84.8 as we were eased upon 58.86 40 16 Flitwick 49 48:21 87 85.5 61.79 37 21 Harlington [2.5] 50:24 85 85.8 reaching 50 mph. Once 63.39 35 53 Sundon 51:33 82 83.5 round the following 65.06 34 00 summit 52:47 81 81.3 curve, full power was 66.28 32 62 Leagrave 53:40 84 82.8 applied for the climb to 68.81 30 20 Luton 59 55:43 65 74.0 Kibworth. Until Hursts 71.79 27 22 Chiltern Green 58:10 76 73.0 there is nothing steeper 73.97 25 08 Harpenden junction 59:40 78 77.7 than 1 in 199 and speed 74.41 24 53 Harpenden 60:11 81 79.3 rose to 71 mph. Then 76.02 23 04 Ayres End Lane 61:23 81 80.5 77.29 21 63 Sandridge Lane 62:20 80 80.2 comes a short fall to 79.16 19 73 St. Albans City 67 63:31 80 94.8 Great Glen before an 80.81 18 20 Napsbury [4] 64:42 86 83.7 average of 1 in 160 to 82.22 16 68 Parkbury 65:40 89 87.5 the summit at Kibworth. 83.86 15 17 Radlett 66:47 89 88.2 We accelerated to 74 86.59 12 39 Elstree 68:40 85 86.9 mph in the dip and just

88.01 11 05 Scratchwood Sdgs 69:39 89 86.7 made 75 mph by the

89.71 9 29 Mill Hill Broadway 70:46 93 91.3 summit. A similar down 91.18 7 73 Silkstream junction 71:45 85 89.7 92.10 6 78 Hendon 80 72:25 81 82.8 grade then follows but 93.01 6 05 Brent junction 73:05 83 82.0 on reaching 88 mph we 93.94 5 11 Cricklewood 73:48 72 77.8 started coasting towards 95.16 3 73 W Hampstead Mid 74:54 63 66.5 the Market Harborough 95.58 3 40 Finchley Road 83 75:18 63 63.0 restriction mentioned 97.49 1 47 Kentish Town 77:07 63 63.1 above.

99.02 0 04 St. Pancras 88 80:11 0 29.9 *Speeds generally calculated from milepost sightings as near to timing point as possible.

Immediately after Market Harborough is a 4½ mile climb at 1 in 132 to Desborough North. After easily accelerating back to 60 mph the grade then took its toll and we were a fraction short of 63 mph at the summit. Again, a similar profile but longer down grade follows and we made 89 mph this time before slowing for Kettering station which interrupts the descent. By the foot of the grade at Burton Latimer we were back to 88 mph but I noted a slight signal check followed before Wellingborough. South of Wellingborough is Sharnbrook summit, 1 in 120 up for four miles from just north of Irchester. We attacked this climb at 72 mph and managed to hold 65 mph at the top before our first 90 mph shortly before Sharnbrook itself and just over half way down the four miles of similar gradients to the recent climb. We then held 92 mph to Radwell viaduct at the foot of the hill, falling to 87 mph at Oakley, a mini summit, and then back up to 90 mph through Bedford.

South of Bedford comes an almost continuous climb of nearly 14 miles between Elstow, passed at 91 mph, and milepost 34 - mostly rising at 1 in 200. Speed gradually fell to just under 84 mph by a short change to undulating grades between Ampthill and Flitwick allowing a recovery to about 87 mph. The 1 in 200 then recommences, for six miles and speed again fell, this time to 81 mph. By Leagrave some further undulations had us back up to 84 mph but that was all as the driver then had to brake for the curves through Luton.

The line now undulates to Sandridge such that after an initial climb out of Luton with a further mile of 1 in 200 we were soon accelerating on a 1 in 176 downgrade to pass Chiltern Green

Milepost 36¾ -302- January 2016 at 76 mph and 78 mph at the foot of the next climb slightly further south. This was then exactly held for two miles of a 1 in 200 climb on to Harpenden junction suggesting that on the earlier identical climb through Sundown speed would not have fallen much below the 81 mph at the summit even if the climb had continued for longer.

Another switchback follows on to St. Albans with speed hovering around 80 mph. We passed through City station at 80 mph, my notes stating, ‘It was a bit rough’ though, I think, legal. Three miles of 1 in 176 downhill follow from St Albans to Parkbury where we were back up to 89 mph ready for the 1 in 200 climb to Elstree, the latter passed at 85 mph. Now downhill to Brent we were up to 93 mph by Mill Hill, our fastest part of the journey. With mileposts now in single figures it was not to last and the loco was eased back to 81 mph by Hendon and then allowed to coast to 72 mph at the Cricklewood conclusion of a further 1 in 200 rise. Speed was held back to just over 60 mph on the following fall into the terminal, my notes stating that, ‘63mph through Kentish Town appeared a little reckless.’ Indeed, I have always considered the main line approach to St. Pancras to be the least restricted of all, and even today with just four platforms to use, one of the approaches with the best chance of a clear run.

We had gained 7¾ minutes by Finchley Road (though allowances in the timetable totalled 6½ minutes) and were now running 10 minutes late. With no way of arriving anywhere near on time into St. Pancras I was surprised by the haste being shown over the final two miles but on analysing the run no time was gained after Finchley Road so such a comparative high speed approach to buffer stops was presumably the norm.

Run 3 is from Norwich to London on the Great Eastern mainline. At 114.75 miles it also includes six intermediate stops, and so is not quite comparable with the previous two non- stop runs. It also took almost 2½ hours and was the only run of the three to lose time. 45 years ago the route was mostly worked by Class 47 locomotives. It has been an electrified route since 1987 and is now on its second generation of ‘second hand’ electric locos with tightened schedules. Although there are no trains today with my run’s stopping pattern it can be assumed that, electrically hauled, this run would have been scheduled for a few minutes under two hours. However, considering the more than doubling of the power available to the driver since 1970 the improvement in journey time does not appear to have resulted in comparable cuts to the schedule.

Run 3 Day/Date Wednesday 1st April 1970 Departure from Norwich Train 16:20 Norwich - Liverpool Street was three minutes late Motive Power Class 47, number unknown but I did not note why. Load (tons) 10/350/365/485 = 5.3hp/ton The start was very slow Weather wet due to the steep climb Rec. Pos. GPS J Rishton -?/11 - Stopwatch to the swing bridge over Miles mm cc location Sch mm:s s speed* avge the River Yare and 0.00 114 85 Norwich 0 00:00 3 late 0.0 Trowse Upper Junction, 0.95 123 08 Trowse 03:49 20 14.9 such that the first two

2.02 112 70 Trowse Upper J 5 05:41 40 34.4 miles took over 5½ 5.22 109 54 Swainsthorpe 08:57 70 58.8 6.68 108 18 Newton Flotman 10:13 68 69.1 minutes. Anyone not 8.18 106 58 Flordon 11:26 78 74.0 familiar with the line 10.93 103 78 Forncett 13:29 78 80.5 may be excused for 11.98 102 74 Wash Lane 14:17 79 78.8 expecting the run to 14.36 100 43 Tivetshall 15 16:11 76 75.2 Ipswich to be fairly flat. 15.90 99 00 summit mp 17:24 76 75.9

Milepost 36¾ -303- January 2016

Miles mm cc location Sch mm:s s speed* avge 17.39 97 41 Burston 18:30 85 81.3 19.94 94 77 Diss 20.5 21:34 0 49.9 0.00 22 23:10 4 late 0.92 94 03 Palgrave 02:02 44 27.2

1.90 93 05 Thrandeston Marsh 03:10 59 51.9 I for one thought it was - 3.54 91 34 Mellis 4.5 04:52 57 57.9 4.96 90 00 mp 06:18 62 59.5 but it certainly isn’t and our 6.07 88 71 footpath 07:18 70 66.6 increase in speed between 6.96 88 00 mp 08:02 77 72.9 Trowse and Swainsthorpe 8.41 86 44 Finningham 09:08 80 79.1 was mostly immediately 10.00 84 77 Gooderhams 10:20 80 79.5 after Trowse down a 1 in 11.97 82 79 Haughley junction 11:56 60 73.9 129. It is then near level to 12.07 82 71 Haughley 11.5 12:02 60 60.0 a mile before 14.39 80 46 Stowmarket 14.5 15:04 0 45.9 Swainsthorpe. The fall in 0.00 16 17:02 5 late 1.47 79 08 River Gipping 02:42 59 32.7 speed in this area to 68 2.37 78 16 Badley Hill 03:32 69 64.8 mph was actually from 72 3.45 77 10 Needham 4 04:23 79 76.2 mph and due to two 5.36 75 17 Baylham 06:37 tsr 20 51.3 climbs, both around 1 in 6.97 73 48 Claydon 09:01 51 40.3 145. By Flordon we were 9.36 71 17 Ship Lane 9 11:22 69 61.0 making a respectable 78 10.62 69 76 River Gipping [4.5] 12:23 77 74.4 mph, rising to 82 mph in a

11.73 68 59 Ipswich 17 15:04 0 24.8 dip before falling back to 0.00 22 18:34 2 late 75 mph at a summit 2.04 66 56 Bobbits Lane 04:02 47 30.3 2.87 65 70 Foot crossing 04:59 55 52.4 beyond Tivetshall. Now 3.74 65 00 Belstead summit 05:53 60 58.0 downhill to Diss we 5.65 63 07 Bentley 6.5 07:33 73 68.7 reached 86 mph before 9.33 59 33 Manningtree 10.5 11:24 0 57.4 brakes were applied after 0.00 12 12:29 2 late 18 miles on full power. 0.39 59 02 Underbridge 01:21 34 17.3 Apart from the first couple

1.45 57 77 Foot crossing 03:02 40 37.8 of miles I thought the

2.27 57 11 Harwich Road 04:13 43 41.6 running was good yet we 3.36 56 04 Ardleigh 5.5 05:36 54 47.3 5.67 53 59 Parsons Heath 07:55 63 59.8 lost a minute on the 6.56 52 68 Ipswich Road 08:40 77 71.2 schedule as far as Diss. 7.79 51 50 Colchester 10 10:08 0 50.3 0.00 12 11:27 2 late Now four minutes late and 1.41 50 17 Underbridge 02:55 52 29.0 the next six miles being 3.42 48 16 Stanway 05:10 54 53.6 quite demanding we made 5.00 46 50 Marks Tey 5.5 06:46 65 59.3 59 mph by the foot of a 1 in

7.15 44 38 Domsey Chase 08:40 70 67.9 132 climb to Mellis and 9.37 42 20 Kelvedon 10:24 82 76.9 11.45 40 14 Foot crossing 11:54 84 83.2 completed it at 57 mph. 13.02 38 48 Witham 11.5 13:01 85 84.3 Further acceleration on 15.77 35 68 Hatfield Peverel 8 15:05 79 79.9 easier grades increased 17.73 33 71 Waltham Road 16:33 81 80.2 the speed to 70 mph at the 19.82 31 64 White Hart Lane 18:11 74 76.8 top of a short descent and 21.90 29 58 Chelmsford 19 21:05 0 43.0 80 mph shortly after the 0.00 21 22:44 4 late foot. One more easier 2.31 27 25 Margaretting 03:42 55 37.5 climb and then it is 4.23 25 39 Margaretting 05:42 60 57.6 downhill to Stowmarket, 6.13 23 47 Ingatestone 7 07:35 64 61.6 8.76 20 77 Flyunder 10:25 tsr 20 55.0 though restrictions kept our 9.53 20 18 Shenfield 10 12:25 34 23.1 speed to 60 mph for much 11.61 18 12 Brentwood 15:04 60 47.1 of the fall. We arrived at 14.86 14 72 Harold Wood 18:50 sigs 45 51.8 Stowmarket a further 16.27 13 39 Gidea Park 20:48 40 43.0 minute down and departed 17.35 12 33 Romford 17 22:11 50 46.9 five minutes late. 19.73 10 02 Chadwell Heath [5.5] 24:16 70 68.5

Milepost 36¾ -304- January 2016

Miles mm cc location Sch mm:s s speed* avge With much flatter running 20.47 9 23 Goodmayes 24:57 61 65.0 onwards to Ipswich we

21.13 8 50 Seven Kings 25:36 61 60.9 had reached 80 mph 22.41 7 28 Ilford 26:51 61 61.4 23.47 6 23 Manor Park 27:55 59 59.6 within four miles but 24.46 5 24 Forest Gate 28:56 57 58.5 there was a 20 mph 25.27 4 39 Maryland 30:13 sigs 15 37.9 restriction through 25.76 4 00 Stratford 31 31:53 18 17.6 Baylham and the best we 28.57 1 15 Bethnal Green EJ 34 36:58 45 33.2 managed on to Ipswich 29.67 0 07 Liverpool Street 38 40:56 0 16.6 was 77 mph just over a *Speeds generally calculated from milepost sightings as near to timing point as mile north of the station. possible.

Fortunately there was a 4½ minute allowance in the schedule before Ipswich and we only lost two minutes from the restriction so we managed, along with a 90 second saving at the platform, to be away just under two minutes late.

There is a minor summit at Belstead between Ipswich and Manningtree, the top of a two and a half mile climb with a maximum of 1 in 120. The easier summit section was passed at 60 mph with a maximum of 73 mph before Manningtree. A further half minute was lost on route plus a half minute station overtime and we departed over two minutes late.

A two mile 1 in 134 climb away from Manningtree starts immediately and this was topped at 43 mph. We reached 77 mph going down the other side before braking for Colchester having, for once, almost kept to the working time for the run.

Smarter station working got us away from Colchester a little under two minutes late for the undulating run to Chelmsford. We managed to hold 54 mph on a short 1 in 128 up to Stanway and sped through Marks Tey at 65 mph and on the following fall we eventually reached 85 mph in the slight dip at Witham. Two miles of 1 in 178 then reduced that to around 78 mph, recovering to 81 mph before easing for Chelmsford. We lost, for no obvious reason, a further two minutes on this run and set off on our last leg to Liverpool Street four minutes down.

The line now climbs nearly all the way to Ingrave, a mile beyond Shenfield. It took over four miles to reach 60 mph but after passing Ingatestone at 64 mph the brakes were applied for a 20 mph restriction where the Southend down line passes under us. We struggled to recover much speed through Shenfield and passed through the station 6½ minutes late, probably behind a Southend service that we should have preceded. We reached 60 mph on the downgrade through Brentwood but then sighted adverse signals on to Romford. We then got some respite and accelerated up to 70 mph before reaching the inner London 60 mph restricted area. We had passed Romford over nine minutes late but with 5½ minutes recovery this was reduced to five down at Stratford despite almost coming to a stand at Maryland whilst the train in front called at Stratford. We then limped on into the terminus in three minutes over the full working allowance from Chelmsford and some seven minutes late.

Probably the poorest of the three runs and the only one to lose time fairly consistently. Although the locomotive was making all the right noises it was perhaps not in the best of condition.

Investment in new traction on all three routes has brought much improved journey times in the last forty years. As for the future: The West Coast from Nuneaton may now be on a plateau for many years whilst HS2 gets all the attention in that part of the network. Despite the current ‘pausing’ of Midland Main Line electrification it will surely happen when or before the Meridians need replacement and wires to Corby may be necessary to allow Meridians to

Milepost 36¾ -305- January 2016 take over from the older and non-standard HST services on the route. Meanwhile, other capacity increasing enhancements will continue to be made along the route. By the next General Election, ‘Norwich in 90’ should have been fully specified and costed and could be Manifesto content – hopefully with more permanence than some elements of the ‘Northern Powerhouse’. Perhaps towards the end of the next full decade, members will be able to look back at changes on these routes - but to what timers experienced in 2015!

A4 v BRUSH 4

Bill Hemstock

In the December 1955 issue of Trains Illustrated, C. J. Allen reviewed the running of the The Elizabethan during that summer. The up run on 29 August 1955 was described in some detail, and the section from Newark up to Stoke caught my attention. He said: ‘By Carlton- on-Trent, Seagull was up to 84½ mph, and then followed a most brilliant ascent to Stoke, which I think it quite possible constitutes a record over this stretch with a load of such magnitude.” Then follows a detailed description of the climb from Newark to Stoke, which seemed familiar, but I didn’t know why. In 1955 I was but six years old, so I left the bookmark on the page and came back to it some months later, when the proverbial penny dropped!

On 2 April 1973, I had recorded a journey from Newcastle to Peterborough with Class 47 No. 1509 and the comparison between the two runs between Newark and Stoke is well worth tabulating. The journey with No. 1509 was described in Milepost 33¾ and here I only need to repeat that 1509 and its driver were certainly performing very well indeed. No. 60033 Seagull was the penultimate A4, built in 1938, and had the Kylchap double blast pipe and chimney all its working life. Post World War Two, it was a regular performer on the Capitals Limited and subsequently The Elizabethan. 79 mph through Newark in 1955 was excessive as the limit over Muskham troughs and the flat crossing with the Midland was then 60 mph and an inspector usually accompanied the two crews. I regret that no mention was made of the fireman’s name, but the driver of Seagull was Ted Hailstone – say no more!

Table 1 Date 02/04/1973 29/08/1955 Train 1357 Newcastle Elizabethan Loco Class 47 - 1509 60033 Seagull Load formation 12, 414/450/568 12?,404/425/583 Recorder Bill Hemstock Ronald I Nelson Position/ GPS 3/13 Blustery NE wind miles M C Timing Point m s mph ave m s mph ave 0.00 120 08 Newark - pass 0 00.0 75/80 0 00.0 79 2.10 118 00 mp 118 1 35.0 81/86 79.6 4.72 115 30 Claypole 3 26.0 84/87 85.1 /82 8.60 111 40 Hougham 6 09.0 84 85.6 77 11.60 108 40 mp 108.5 8 20.0 79 82.4 74 14.65 105 36 Grantham 10 36.0 83 80.7 11 06.0 76 79.2 18.10 102 00 Ponton 13 11.0 76 80.1 20.00 100 08 Stoke sb - pass 14 42.0 74 75.2 15 41.0 66 70.0

To show that excessive speed through Newark and over Muskham troughs was not unusual, in Table 2 is a log published in the December 1958 Railway Magazine.

Prince of Wales had been attached fresh at Grantham and though speed was shown at Newark, the average speeds demonstrate that very little, if any, reduction in speed was made. C. J. Allen’s article merely described Seagull’s performance, so there were very few passing times in Table 1, but as I expected the Brush 4 had the advantage.

Milepost 36¾ -306- January 2016

The comparison reminded me of a pre-war run with the up West Riding Limited on which A4 No. 4901 Capercaillie covered the Huntingdon-Hitchin stretch in 17m 55s, a time that would be notable on the down line, let alone on the up line! Details of this log are in C. J. Allen’s BLP&P article in The Railway Magazine of November 1940, where the running of Table 2 Date Sat (Winter 57/58) Train 0900 KX-Newcastle Loco 60054 Prince of Wales Load formation 10, 350/380/535 Recorder H J Frank Driver Watson(Grantham) miles Timing Point m s mph ave 0.00 Grantham 0 00.0 9.90 Claypole 10 58.0 87/90 54.2 14.60 Newark 14 10.0 88.1 21.90 Crow Park 19 18.0 87.5 85.3 26.40 Tuxford 22 41.0 75 79.8 28.20 mp 133.75 - pass 24 10.0 75 72.8 . Table 3 Run Date Winter 71/72 25/07/1938 Train 0715 Bradford-KX West Riding Limited West Riding Limited Loco Class 47 1507 A4 4901 Capercaillie A4 4901 Capercaillie Load formation 7,245/260/378 8,278/295/453 8,278/295/453 Recorder Dr Colin Starkey Driver Waite (KX) Waite (KX) miles Timing Point m s mph ave m s mph ave m s mph ave 0.00 Peterborough - pass 0 00.0 20 0 00.0 0 00.0 1.35 Fletton J 1 59.0 60 40.8 3.75 Yaxley 4 11.0 69 65.5 7.00 Holme 6 31.0 86 83.6 6 52.0 61.2 6 16.0 87 67.0 9.00 Conington South 8 14.0 /25tsr 69.9 12.85 Abbots Ripton 12 49.0 50.4 10 59.0 85.3 10 26.0 77.5/85 84.2 17.50 Huntingdon 16 07.0 84 84.5 14 20.0 83.3 13 51.0 75*/83 81.7 20.40 Offord 17 53.0 101 98.5 70* 24.60 St Neots 20 24.0 99 100.1 19 20.0 /95.5 85.2 19 26.0 /94 76.3 32.20 Sandy 24 53.0 102 101.7 24 13.0 93.4 24 31.0 89.7 35.20 Biggleswade 26 38.0 102 102.9 /91 39.25 Arlesey 29 06.0 99 98.5 28 50.0 91.6 29 02.0 94 93.7 44.45 Hitchin 32 19.0 94 97.0 32 15.0 91.3 32 31.0 81 89.6 47.80 Stevenage (old) - pass 34 34.0 89 89.3 35 04.0 71.4 35 02.0 77 79.9 Notes: 4901 "Capercaillie" becames 60005 - Sir Charles Newton 4493 "Woodcock" became 60029 "Woodcock" The "Woodcock name was, for a very short period, borne by 4489 before being renamed "Dominion of Canada" and subsquently renumbered 60010 The 25mph tsr at Conington South suffered by the Class 47, is estimated to have cost 3mins the train was reviewed. For anyone interested in high speed performance this article is well worth careful scrutiny. The tables in the article contain passing times only, and any speeds are only in the narrative. Only one speed, 95½ mph near Tempsford, is mentioned – what a pity. However, in the next column to Capercaillie’s run is one with No. 4493 Woodcock, and C.J. Allen’s narrative gives virtually all the relevant speeds. All the details that I can find for these two runs are in Table 3, and I regret that, yet again, no mention is made of the firemen’s names, for they must have both been working hard and skilfully over this stretch.

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For comparison in Table 3, a run tabulated and described by C.J. Allen in Modern Railways March 1972 is used. The 0715 Bradford-Kings Cross had been delayed for a defective coach to be detached before departure from Bradford, and No. 1507’s driver, working to a Deltic schedule, did his best. In any comparison note should be taken that 1507’s trailing load was 35 tons less, and that the total gross load, including the locomotive was 75 tons less: 378 tons compared with 453 tons – a considerable difference indeed. On the face of it, the Brush 4 has the advantage, but would anyone who specialises in power output calculations care to comment on the rail and/or indicated horsepower involved in these efforts?

Finally in Table 4, I have compiled a hypothetical log using the shortest times between timing points of Capercaillie and Woodcock and continued it from Holme to Wood Green: 64.4 miles in 45m 10s – 85.5 mph average speed.

Table 4 Date Train Composite timetable showing faster of Loco Capercaillie (C)and Load formation Woodock (W) runs (table Recorder 3) Position/ GPS miles Timing Point m s ave faster 0.00 Holme - pass 0 00.0 5.85 Abbots Ripton 4 07.0 85.3 C 10.50 Huntingdon 7 28.0 83.3 C 17.60 St Neots 12 28.0 85.2 C 25.20 Sandy 17 21.0 93.4 C 32.25 Arlesey 21 52.0 93.7 W 37.45 Hitchin 25 17.0 91.3 C 40.80 Stevenage (old) 27 48.0 79.9 W 45.90 Woolmer Green 31 44.0 77.8 C 51.70 Hatfield 35 43.0 87.4 W 56.65 Potters Bar 39 27.0 79.6 W 64.40 Wood Green - pass 45 10.0 81.3 W Average speeds: (mph) Holme-Wood Green 85.5

Huntingdon-Hitchin 90.8

From 1969 to 1978 I was based near Peterborough and at no time did I record a Class 47- hauled train anywhere near 45m 10s on the Holme-Wood Green stretch!

Milepost 36¾ -308- January 2016

Newcastle-Northallerton via Stockton Part 1

Andrew James

Initially, I was going to review the Newcastle-Middlesbrough line, but the performance beyond Stockton is arguably devoid any interest and therefore I will concentrate solely on the line as far as Stockton before deviating at Hartburn Junction to continue the review of performance towards Northallerton. I will concentrate on performance during the steam and first generation diesel era and in a later article will hopefully feature a first generation diesel and Pacer/Sprinter comparisons. The nomenclature used in this article reflects what the locations were called in the post-war steam and early diesel era

Route Description

The current route between Newcastle and Northallerton was only completed in its present form in April 1905 when the section from Ryhope Grange Junction (south of Sunderland) to Cemetery South Junction (north of Hartlepool) was completed. Previously, the line travelled inland via Wellfield south of Ryhope Grange Junction over the formidable 1 in 44 Seaton bank, although only a relatively short 1¼ miles long.

The route is certainly not an easy one from the perspective of performance despite a respectable line limit of 70 mph, which has applied at least since nationalisation in 1948. There are a number of severe speed restrictions which are sited in awkward locations as the route hugs the Durham coastline to some extent.

The alignment vacillates from the good to the necessarily atrocious in order to serve the sizeable communities en route. The start out of Newcastle is normally excruciatingly slow to Sunderland via the normal route as it crosses the high level bridge, and twists sharply through the former Gateshead East station before facing more severe curvature between there and Borough Gardens (between Gateshead East and Felling). This section has always been in the Olympian category for flange squealing, the Pacers being the worst culprits, perhaps not surprisingly. The alignment is generally good between Felling and Sunderland. Odd services were also directed via the King Edward bridge past Gateshead MPD.

South of Sunderland, there are further restrictions at Ryhope Grange Junction and Hall Dene which hinder subsequent acceleration to Hartlepool where the restriction is more severe and requires a reduction to 20 mph, but this is academic as all services call here. Stockton also has a 30 mph restriction but, like Hartlepool, all services also call here both now and during the steam era.

As a result, average speeds overall on even the most favourable stretches of line barely exceeded around 43-45 mph start-to-stop. Despite this, what I hope to show is that in places the line does have a reasonably fast speed profile.

From the perspective of gradients, the line is not particularly exacting, reflecting the lack of faith early engineers had in steam traction, Seaton bank apart, on the original route. The line undulates between Newcastle and Seaham, the most favourable down stretch being 1 in 228 between Pelaw and Boldon Colliery. After Seaham the profile is more severe, but the gradients are shorter with a pitch of 1 in 100 between Milepost 65-64. From around MP 59 the line descends to Hartlepool on a ruling descent of 1 in 100.

The topography from Hartlepool begins to change markedly and a level section of around 4½ miles is traversed between here and Stockton. The line then begins to climb towards

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Billingham and Norton-on-Tees on a 1 in 352-205 ascent, before descending in the vicinity of Norton East Junction towards Stockton.

After Stockton comes the climb on 1 in 170 between and Yarm and Picton where there is a level section and then the line climbs towards Welbury after which gradients favour services heading towards Northallerton on a ruling descent of 1 in 226. In comparison with the industrial sprawl of Teesside, the line becomes almost bucolic in nature as the route moves inland towards Northallerton following the River Tees as far as Yarm.

The route between Newcastle and Northallerton is part of the former Leeds Northern route and this is reflected by the mileposts between these two points which is measured from its zero point at Wortley Junction, Leeds.

Closure as a through route between Newcastle and Leeds via Stockton, Northallerton and Ripon occurred in March 1967, with only a brief reprieve after this following the crash by DP2 between York and Darlington. Like most milepost series in north-east England, visibility generally borders on the appalling with many mileposts either hidden or missing, although the section between Pelaw and Newcastle was reposted in 2002 with nice high visibility mileposts after the completion of electrification for the Tyne & Wear Metro.

Services

This route has always been the poor relation of the ECML in terms of services to London, in particular. For many years there were, however, two daily workings over this route to the capital which comprised the 7.53 am Sunderland-Kings Cross and the night sleeper, the 10.30 pm Newcastle-Kings Cross during much of the steam era. The first 7.53 am started at South Shields on summer Saturdays for at least a short period during the mid-late fifties. The corresponding working was the 3.20 pm through coach from Kings Cross which was combined with a York-Newcastle semi-fast, according to my copy of the winter 1955-1956 North Eastern Region timetable. In the same direction there was also 10.20 am Bristol- Newcastle and a 10.30 am Liverpool Exchange-Newcastle via Wakefield Kirkgate.

There was also a bi-daily Newcastle-Liverpool service which reflected pre-grouping arrangements well into the BR era and the service in its entirety had a myriad of route permutations, particularly in the interwar period over LNER metals. The other two services in the post-war era took the conventional ECML route via Durham and Darlington one continuing via Ripon (through the Leeds Northern route) and the other via York. There was for many years a Newcastle-Colchester working that left Tyneside at around noon.

The main service on the Newcastle-Stockton section, however was the hourly Newcastle- Middlesbrough service which was an early recipient of the 1955 Modernisation plan, dieselisation occurring on 21 November of the same year with the introduction of the Derby Lightweight units. These units differed from their West Riding contemporaries by employing the much more common mechanical transmission system and employed AEC engines as opposed to the Leyland variety fitted in the Hydraulic units. Complete dieselisation of this service had occurred by the autumn of 1957.

By 1960 these units were augmented by the Class 101 Metro Cammell and Class 108 Derby units with the odd Class 104 BRCW unit for variety. Like many services after the advent of DMUs, there was a consequent reduction in journey times. Running times over the 47 miles from Newcastle-Middlesbrough were reduced from a previous steam best of 92 minutes to 78 minutes southbound and from 88 minutes to 78 minutes in the opposite direction by late 1957. Journey times have since become extended due to the increase in the number of stops en route since this era, which mirrors what has happened elsewhere in the UK to some extent

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Sunderland was really the apex of this route in the steam era and had local lines to Durham via two routes and also a service to South Shields. There were also separate services to Hartlepool and Stockton which went inland via Wellifield. All had ceased by March 1965, closure to passenger traffic being much earlier in some instances. Most importantly in regard to this article was the birthplace of the writer’s father!

Mention should also be made of the huge amount of freight traffic the line carried in the steam era which generated an interminable amount of coal among other industrial products. There was also the small-matter of Sunderland, which was a veritable epicentre of marine engineering during the steam era.

Steam traction in the post-war era like on many such lines, boasted a panoply of traction with all varying classes of LNER Pacifics and V2s running on the few expresses which traversed this route. Dieselisation of these expresses mirrored the ECML elsewhere, with the various Type 4s and Deltics replacing steam on these duties.

The Newcastle-Middlesbrough service featured the Gresley V1/V3 Prairie tanks and Thompson B1s in the post-war steam era amongst others. The local services which consisted of a hourly Newcastle-Sunderland service, amongst others, were the province of the older A8 Pacific tanks and the even older G5 0-4-4s, although intermixing of all these types on the latter services did occur from time-to-time as old photographs testify.

Table 1, Run 1, goes back to the period just before partial dieselisation and features a Gresley V3 Prairie tank. They differed from the earlier V1 version by having 200 PSI boilers as opposed to the 180 PSI fitted to the earlier V1s. These engines replaced the A5/A8 tanks on these services. That ceaseless compiler of performance recording, Gerald Aston, was on- hand to record this run for posterity.

It can hardly be described as being inspiring, but a reminder in those far-off days that performance sometimes bordered on the acutely dismal. Gerald changed trains at West Hartlepool and would have no doubt hoped for something better behind the A3 in Run 2. But once again, the running falls into the lacklustre category, at best, with a maximum of 56 mph on the level after Cowpen lane and a loss of two minutes on schedule.

Whatever criticisms could be levelled at the first generation DMU fleet as vehicles - and there were many - it cannot be denied that their introduction they brought a discernible improvement in performance over the steam traction they replaced. The attainment of 71 mph on the flat at Greatham was perhaps the highlight of Run 3. Unfortunately, I was unable to trace an exact stopping pattern for both forms of traction, but apparent is the better acceleration of the latter form of traction in numerous locations en route and the higher speeds attained in general.

The performance of Peppercorn A1 Peregrine in Run 4 was something of a curates egg in contrast to Runs 1 & 2. Mediocre to Sunderland despite a heavy load at the drawbar, better to Hartlepool and exceptional on the flat from Seaton Carew to Cowpen Lane. A rudimentary estimate of power output between these two locations suggests a figure of around 2,020 edhp. This was an exceptional figure for any steam locomotive running during the steam era. Reference to other runs in the RPS archive on the last mentioned section generally shows speeds of around 55 - 60 mph between these two locations, so the running of No. 60146 was certainly a cut above-the-norm behind driver Bailey.

Milepost 36¾ -311- January 2016

Run no 1 2 3 Date 23/02/1955 23/02/1955 14/11/1957 Train 2.15 PM 4.15 PM 5.20 PM Newcastle- Newcastle- Newcastle- Middlesbrough Liverpool Lime St Middlesbrough Motive Power 67638/V3/3MT 60084/A3/7P 101/2x2+4 Load 7/227 11/346/366 8/228/248 Recorder G.Aston G.Aston N.Proudlock M C [sch] m s mph [sch] m s mph [sch] m s mph 0 00 Newcastle 0 00 sig stop 0 00 101 73 101 26 Gateshead East [3] 3 18 101 26 0 00 99 48 Felling 3 54 41 [8.5] 7 20 99 48 0 00 98 32 Pelaw 5 39 41/52 2 27 42 95 12 Boldon Colliery 9 41 44/sigs 5 45 66/71 93 17 East Boldon 12 17 46/48 7 25 68 91 33 Seaburn 14 37 43 9 00 67 90 17 Monkwearmouth 18 05 sig stop 10 30 37 89 60 Sunderland [21] 22 29 [13] 11 35 89 60 0 00 0 00 87 62 Ryhope Grange Jct 4 06 40 3 24 53 86 63 Ryhope East 5 45 34* 85 23 Hall Dene 6 24 42 84 49 Seaham [10] 10 10 [7.5] 7 50 84 49 0 00 0 00 82 31 Hawthorne Jct 4 12 80 33 Easington 7 00 37 5 55 41/43/35 78 44 Horden 9 29 44 8 10 60 76 69 Blackhall Rocks 12 05 10 02 65 74 67 Hart 14 47 11 40 65/50 72 72 Cemetery West 17 56 14 50 42 71 55 West Hartlepool [20] 22 56 [17.5] 16 15 71 55 West Hartlepool 0 00 0 00 69 40 Seaton Carew 6 35 38 3 50 55 67 27 Greatham 9 18 51 5 45 71 65 44 Cowpen Lane 11 21 54/56 7 15 71 63 60 Billingham- on-Tees 13 39 [10.5] 9 35 63 60 0 00 61 69 Norton South 16 29 31*/46 3 50 41/50 60 04 Stockton [18] 20 12 [7] 6 13 . The service configuration from Stockton to Northallerton going south was very different from that in the opposite direction in the steam era - certainly if my Winter 1955/1956 North Eastern Region Timetable is anything to go by. The expresses being same as those north of this point and were augmented by local services which consisted of a very limited Saltburn/West Hartlepool-Eaglescliffe /Northallerton service amongst others.

Table 3 features two express workings. A B1 on the 7.53 am Sunderland - Kings Cross was quite unusual, one suspects. Previous published photographs on this service show a Pacific or at least a V2 on this duty and this may have been a last minute substitute for a larger locomotive.

The running was quite respectable and the performance power-wise between MP 55 and MP 53 was quite typical of Class Five rated work in the UK, on anything other than the crack XL limit schedules on the London Midland Region. Certainly, Black Fives on the Liverpool- Birmingham services, produced quite similar performances on the ascent of Madeley bank.

Milepost 36¾ -312- January 2016

Table 2 Run 4 Date 02/08/1957 Train 4.13 pm Newcastle-Liverpool LSt Recorder N.Proudlock Load 13/420/445 Motive Power 60146/8P/A1 M C [sch] m s mph 0 00 Newcastle 0 00 Via King Edward Br slipping/sigs 99 48* Felling 9 08 30 98 32 Pelaw 95 12 Boldon Colliery 15 07 54/50/sigs 94 68 Pontop Crossing 93 17 East Boldon 18 25 35/38 91 33 Seaburn 20 42 53 90 17 Monkwearmouth 22 15 40 89 60 Sunderland [19] 23 48 89 60 0 00 87 62 Ryhope Grange 4 15 43/47 86 63 Ryhope East 5 30 47 85 23 Hall Dene 7 48 40*/38 84 49 Seaham 8 50 30/43 82 31 Hawthorne Jct 11 55 60/61 80 33 Easington 14 00 53/60 78 44 Horden 15 51 63/65 76 69 Blackhall Rocks 17 30 63 74 67 Hart 19 18 62/50/sigs 72 72 Cemetery West 22 05 35*/sigs 71 55 West Hartlepool [29] 25 50 71 55 0 00 slipping 69 40 Seaton Carew 4 40 44 67 27 Greatham 7 00 63 75/sigs/ sig 65 44 Cowpen Lane 8 34 stop 63 60 Billingham- on-Tees 13 25 28 62 19 Norton East Junction 60 04 Stockton [18] 17 08 . Table 3 Run no 5 6 Date 04/09/1954 20/04/1955 Train 7.53 Sunderland- 4.15 PM Newcastle- Kings Cross Liverpool LS Motive Power 61084/B1/5MT 60138/A1/8P Load 10/310/325 11/363/375 Recorder P.Semmens P.Semmens M C [sch] m s mph [sch] m s mph 60 05 Stockton 0 00 0 00 57 00 Eaglescliffe 5 58 5 45 55 00 Mp 8 26 49 8 06 55 53 00 Mp 11 01 44/43 10 26 50/69 52 31 Picton 11 50 11 07 48 21 Welbury 17 24 tsr/15 15 19 46 00 Mp 21 03 53 17 20 72/71 44 57 Brompton 22 24 /60/sigs 18 23 43 00 Northallerton East Jct 0 37 0 00 Northallerton High Jct 30 11 29 76 Northallerton [24]* 26 59 [25]** 22 04

Milepost 36¾ -313- January 2016

Mp 55-53 (1 in 170) edhp-mph Run 5-61084-797-46.5 mph Run 6-60138-1041-51.4 mph Schedule* 7.53 Sunderland-Kings Cross North Eastern Region timetable 1955/1956 Schedule** 4.15 PM Newcastle-Liverpool North Eastern Region Timetable 1955/1956

Incidentally, another highly unusual feature of this run was the use of LMS stock on an ECML express to London and it would be interesting to know what the reason was for this.

Unfortunately a TSR after Welbury and signals approaching Northallerton meant that the crew dropped three minutes to Northallerton.

The performance behind A1 No. 60138 in Run 6 was again very competent although the engine wasn’t exactly extended going uphill, but a brisk descent towards Northallerton meant that the engine showed a comfortable mastery over the schedule and one cannot really complain.

Unfortunately I have not been able to find any first generation diesel comparisons over this section and we now must concentrate on the opposite direction.

The service configuration in the opposite direction was semi-fast in nature with most services originating at Leeds going to either West Hartlepool, Middlesbrough or Newcastle and a limited express service which reflected the service north of Stockton in the opposite direction.

Run 7 (Table 4) goes back to the period immediately after WW2. A V2 features here. Time would have virtually been kept on the 27 minute schedule had it not been for a signal check between Picton and Yarm. In regard to the lack of point speeds quoted on this run and on the continuation to Sunderland, I have calculated the log averages which are shown in italics. Run 8 goes well into the diesel era and features a diverted Liverpool-Newcastle express. The driver of No. 47527 allowed his locomotive to attain a moderate excess over the line limit at Picton and then after remembering this he eased accordingly, it would seem.

Table 4 Run no 7 8 Date Circa 1946 19/04/1981 Train ? 8.4 Liverpool LS- Newcastle Motive Power 4857/V2 47527 Load 10/320/330 8/256/265 Recorder A.Middlemiss B.I.Nathan M C m s mph [sch] m s mph 29 76 Northallerton 0 00 0 00 30 11 Northallerton High Jct 0 00 0 37 Northallerton East Jct 43 00 44 57 Brompton 4 27 4 15 62/69 48 21 Welbury 8 31 52.4 7 25 73 52 31 Picton 12 46 65/20/sigs 10 55 74 54 31 Yarm 16 42 13 56 57 00 Eaglescliffe 18 23 35* 15 01 60 05 Stockton [25] 26 59 [?] 19 55

Milepost 36¾ -314- January 2016

We continue on our journey back to Newcastle with a continuation of Run 7. The crew of this V2 seem to have things well in hand and moderate running in the low sixties between Greatham and Seaton Carew ate into the schedule. Run 9 is a reminder of staple, semi-fast power on the Middlesbrough-Newcastle service, which I mentioned earlier were the predecessors to the Gresley V1/V3 tanks. By 1957, when this run was recorded, these locomotives had long been replaced by more modern and powerful steam power on the route and partial dieselisation had already occurred.

Table 5 Run no 7 continued 10 Date Circa 1946 31/08/1957 Train ? 11.35 Middlesbrough- Newcastle Motive Power 4857/V2 Derby Lightweight

Load 10/320/330 6/134/144 Recorder A.Middlemiss N.Proudlock M C [sch] m s mph [sch] m s mph 60 04 Stockton 0 00 0 00 61 69 Norton South 4 00 44/sigs 63 60 Billingham- on-Tees 6 40 [6] 8 25 63 60 0 00 65 44 Cowpen Lane 2 51 51/72 67 27 Greatham 10 34 62 4 20 72 69 40 Seaton Carew 12 41 60 6 19 64/68 71 55 West Hartlepool [20] 16 56 [10] 9 27 71 55 0.00 0 00 72 72 Cemetery West 3 02 47 74 67 Hart 7 00 4 30 53/54 76 69 Blackhall Rocks 9 46 43.9 7 18 sigs/25 78 44 Horden 11 54 47.5 9 40 62 80 33 Easington 13 58 54.1 11 28 65/60 82 31 Hawthorne Jct 13 22 66/65 84 49 Seaham 20 35 30* [17] 16 10 84 49 sigs 0 00 85 23 Hall Dene 1 31 44 86 63 Ryhope East 23 34 20 3 14 63 87 62 Ryhope Grange Jct sigs 4 15 63/55 89 60 Sunderland [30] 29 33 [8] 6 58 Run no 9 11 Date 31/07/1957 02/03/1959 Train 11.31 1.36 PM Sunderland- Middlesbrough- Newcastle Newcastle Motive Power 69874/A8/3P 108 Load 5/135/145 4/100/110 Recorder N.Proudlock N.Proudlock 89 60 Sunderland 0 00 0 00 90 17 Monkwearmouth 1 40 25 1 10 91 33 Seaburn 3 50 37 3 05 58 93 17 East Boldon 6 07 53/52 4 55 64/65 95 12 Boldon Colliery 8 23 52/48 6 43 63 98 32 Pelaw 12 05** sigs 11 14 sigs/15 99 48 Felling 14 00 50/44/tsr 13 15 sigs/20 101 26 Gateshead East [19] 33 55 stop [17] 17 00 101 26 0 00 0 00 sigs 101 73 Newcastle 3 30 4 00 0 00 [3] [3] **At signal box

Milepost 36¾ -315- January 2016

Table 6 Run no 12 The Sunderland-Newcastle service Date 31/08/1957 Train 12.40 PM featured here did omit a number of stops Sunderland- and therefore gave No. 69874 a good South Shields opportunity to stretch her legs. Running Motive Power 69863/A8/3P was moderate, but any chance of on-time Load 4/108/112 arrival at Gateshead was precluded by a Recorder N.Proudlock lengthy stop outside Gateshead East. M C [sch] m s mph 89 60 Sunderland 0 00 26 max Run 10 features a Derby lightweight unit. 90 17 Monkwearmouth [2] 1 55 What is readily apparent, once again with 90 17 0 00 90 61 Wearmouth 1 42 37 this form of traction, is the extra zip they 91 33 seaburn [2] 3 02 gave over steam on a daily if not 91 33 0 00 exceptional basis. The running on the flat 92 00 Fulwell 1 45 38 between Cowpen Lane and Greatham 92 50 Blue House Crossing 2 45 37 was an excellent 72 mph. This was pretty 93 17 East Boldon [3] 4 03 good for any first generation DMU fitted 93 17 0 00 with the mechanical-type transmission 93 62 Tile Shed 1 40 32/38 system. 0 00 1 66 Tyne Dock [5] 3 40

Run 11 is behind a later Class 108 unit. These units incorporated a heavier but more durable body design than the original lightweight units. Running was more moderate, but once again this form of traction shows a discernible superiority over the A8 in Run 9

Although strictly outside the orbit of this article, I have decided at the last moment to include this run behind another A8 on a Sunderland-South Shields working. This was the last branch line service out of Sunderland to remain open for passenger traffic, before inevitably succumbing to closure in March 1965. The A8s by this time had long disappeared, the last survivors being withdrawn in June 1960.

We should be eternally grateful that Noel Proudlock once again recorded this bit of pre- Beeching nostalgia for posterity. The Pacific tank showed quite sprightly acceleration between successive stations.

Acknowledgements.

I would like to thank David Lloyd-Roberts for his comments and suggestions and, in particular, Noel Proudlock for his advice and for supplying a lot of material for this article.

Bibliography

Trains Illustrated August 1959 The Middlesbrough-Newcastle route of the N.E.R Part One K.Hoole. Trains Illustrated September 1959 The Middlesbrough-Newcastle route of the N.E.R Part Two K.Hoole.

British Railways Passenger Services North Eastern England 19th September 1955 to 10th June 1956 inclusive ( or until further notice).

Ian Allan a b c British Railway Locomotives: Diesel Multiple Units, London, Ian Allan Limited, Summer 1961 Edition.

Milepost 36¾ -316- January 2016

.A Recorder’s Guide to the SNCF – the end of an era

Alan Varley

The ‘BB électrique’ as it emerged in the 1950s rapidly became the symbol of modernity and progress on French railways, a status it maintained until dethroned by the advent of the TGV in 1981. The archetypal BB was the 9200 class and its slightly updated (though mechanically identical) successor, the 9300. There were of course also the 25 kV and dual-voltage derivatives, the BB 16000 and BB 25200 classes, but their field of action was more limited and it is the 9200/9300 series, through its association with the long-distance express services from the Gare de Lyon and the Gare d’Austerlitz, that is recognized as the iconic ‘BB’

Although the BBs were displaced from many crack workings by the more powerful CC 6500s, they gained their revenge by outliving their successors. But their long career has finally come to an end: the last two BB 9300s were withdrawn at the end of 2014, and although three BB 9200s were still on the books in mid-2015 they were retained solely for catenary-cleaning duties and were no longer capable of independent operation. Many of the 9200s had, however, been active for over half a century (they were built between 1957 and 1964), enabling seven members of the class to clock up more than 10 million kilometres.

Table 1 Angoulême – Bordeaux

Run 1 Train 307 Sud Express, 19.6.76 There were 92 BB 9200s and 40 18/703/780, BB 9250 AV, position n/a, fine and hot 9300s, all originally geared for 160 PK Dist m s km/h km/h and with a continuous rating of 449.38 00.00 Angoulême 00 00 RT 5200 HP. Four 9200s were modified 451.35 01.97 Sillac 03 45 61 in 1967 to work the Capitole at 457.00 07.62 La Couronne 07 19 109 speeds of 200 km/h; they were fitted 463.51 14.13 Mouthiers 10 36 126 with higher gearing and cruise 470.69 21.31 Charmant 13 57 132/127 477.28 27.90 Chavenat 17 00 135/150 control, and in the case of BB 9291 483.47 34.09 Montmoreau 19 33 148 and 9292, which were in fact geared 490.00 40.62 PK 490 22 11 150/145 for a theoretical 250 km/h, power 494.11 44.73 Montboyer 23 52 148/142 output was also enhanced. Others 499.97 50.59 Chalais 26 20 146/150 were modified over the years for 505.64 56.26 Parcoul 28 39 148/153 push-pull working or for coupling to 513.92 64.54 St-Aigulin 31 59 142 the Spanish Talgo rolling-stock, but 521.68 72.30 Les Eglisottes 35 13 150/152 there were no essential modifications 527.00 77.62 PK 527 37 20 148/142 to their electrical and mechanical 531.10 81.72 Coutras 39 03 145/160 539.43 90.05 St-Denis 42 15 157 characteristics. 547.09 97.71 Libourne 45 43 95* sigs 552.02 102.64 Arveyres 48 44 116 Originally omnipresent on trains from 556.10 106.72 Vayres 50 40 142 Paris to Bordeaux/Hendaye and 561.59 112.21 St-Sulpice 52 56 151 Toulouse, Paris to Marseille, and 565.01 115.73 St Loubès 54 17 158 Bordeaux to Marseille, they finished 568.58 119.30 La Grave 55 40 148 their careers in the south-west, 570.45 121.17 La Gorp 56 27 144 working alongside the more modern 574.62 125.34 Bassens 58 08 */26 tsr 577.46 128.18 Lormont 61 24 35/24tsr/50 BB 7200s on Bordeaux-Marseille 579.95 130.67 Cenon 66 30 15* sigs expresses into the 1990s, and 581.82 132.54 B Benauge 70 40 50/55 between Bayonne and Toulouse via 583.84 134.56 Bordeaux St-J 74 26 5.5 late Tarbes into the early years of this century. During the last decade, though, the dwindlingcentury. numbers During of the survivors last decade, were though,relegated almost exclusively to second-rank trains on these routes.the dwindling I timed numbers just over of survivors70 runs withwere BB relegated almost exclusively to second- rank trains on these routes. I timed Milepost 36¾ -317- January 2016

9200s, between 1964 and 1998, and over 60 with BB 9300s, the last of them in 2003. This article reflects that personal experience with these classes.

This began on my very first visit to France, as described last year in my 50th anniversary article. My 1964 circuit in fact touched on all the major routes where BB 9200s were active, but it was also predictive of the future in that my first run, from Paris Austerlitz, was made on a train that turned off the Bordeaux route and headed for Toulouse. France is a big country, Bordeaux is over 900 km from my home in Nice; consequently the southern end of the Paris- Bordeaux-Hendaye line is severely under-represented in my travel records. However, I did time one run from Angoulême to Bordeaux with the Sud-Express (Run 1, above) that exemplifies the type of work the 9200s performed regularly in their heyday.

With this heavy load (almost 10 times the weight of the loco) the start was extremely slow, and the effort up the rising grades through Mouthiers was only moderate; speed was in any case limited to 130 km/h south of Livernan tunnel, between Charmant and Chavenat. Cruising at a little below 150 km/h got us through Coutras punctually, but an attempt to use higher speed to get some time in hand for the TSR at the end of the run was interrupted by signals through Libourne. The approach to Bordeaux was hampered by realignment work through Cenon and further signal checks. Net time was around 63 minutes; the schedule, no doubt extended for the work at Cenon, was 69.

I had several runs with the BBs on the Paris-Toulouse line, following my first contact in 1964. I never managed to time one on the Capitole, which although it made the headlines on account of its short spell of 200 km/h running between Les Aubrais and Vierzon and its six- hour overall time to Toulouse, was not a difficult train. The normal load was only just over 300 tonnes (timed for 400) and the schedule of 174 minutes to Limoges could be kept without using the higher speed limit. A detailed log of a run with BB 9291, timed by P.G. Barlow and H.G. Ellison, appeared in the February 1968 issue of Modern Railways, and the authors noted that following 32 km at an average of 199 km/h the train had gained two minutes that were then dissipated by a coasting approach to Vierzon, giving times that could have been matched by 160 km/h running followed by normal braking. In Milepost 16½ (October 1995) I presented two runs from Paris to Limoges, timed by T. Griffiths and myself respectively with a BB 9300 on 13 coaches and a BB 9200 on 12; the second of these made a net time of 171½ minutes, inside the 200 km/h Capitole schedule despite the heavier load.

South of Limoges I timed a run with BB 9286 (Run 2, 3) that took an 18-coach load as far as Brive. The immediate start from Limoges is downhill but with a tortuous exit and the slow initial acceleration that is inevitable with such a load we hit the foot of the first 1 in 100 incline only in the low 80s, and from there it was a long slow grind to 90 km/h at the north end of Pouzol tunnel. On the same gradient on the long climbs to Magnac-Vicq and La Porcherie we settled to about 97 – not much over 4,000 EDBP, but low line voltage was a chronic problem on this route. At Masseret we had a lengthy signal stop while an up train came off a stretch of single-line working, so after that it was a question of making full use of the line limit downhill, which we did to good effect, even to the extent of a 135 km/h maximum before Ussac on what is now, and I think was then, a 130 line limit.

At Brive we dropped five coaches and with ‘only’ 540 tonnes, 110 or 115 km/h up 1 in 100 was no problem. In fact this run, made 40 years ago, would be impossible today as loco- hauled line speed is now 110 km/h throughout from Brive to Cahors, whereas we made full use of the 115 km/h MPS then applicable on some sections, including the 1 in 100 climbs to the summit at Gignac and through Lamothe. From Cahors this gradient is faced right

Milepost 36¾ -318- January 2016

Table 2 Limoges – Brive –Toulouse and return Run 2 0945 Paris-Port Bou, 24.7.73, BB 9286, 18/755/780 AV 19/19 (Run 3 13/520/540 ex Brive, 5/14) Run 4 1040 Cerbère-Paris, 11.6.74, BB 9277, 13/474/520 AV 3/14 (Run 5 17/635/695 ex Brive, 7/18)

PK dist m s km/h PK dist m s km/h 403.50 00.00 Limoges Run 2 6½ late 256.35 00.00 Toulouse Run 4 32½ late 410.02 06.52 Viaduct Sth 03 48 82 249.68 06.67 Lacourtens. 05 46 142/140/142 412.92 09.42 Pouzol T S 08 22 90/115 240.76 15.59 St-Jory 09 35 140/142/135 421.70 18.20 Pierre-B 14 53 110/103/106 234.95 21.40 Castelnaud 12 06 153/161 427.68 24.18 Glanges 18 25 98/97 229.52 26.83 Grisolles 14 20 148/161/158 433.41 29.91 Magnac-V 21 56 103/118 217.96 38.39 Montbarlier 18 46 159/161 437.17 33.67 St-Germain 23 58 113/97 215.85 50.50 Montauban 24 39 30 late 443.47 39.97 Porcherie 27 26 105 663.36 00.00 26 04 29½ late 448.06 44.56 Masseret 40 45 Sig stop 660.00 03.36 PK 660 04 48 TSR/105 459.70 56.20 Uzerche 49 01 650.66 12.70 Albias 08 46 161/157/161 00.00 50 25 19 late 640.01 23.35 Caussade 13 03 112*/107 468.23 08.53 Vigeois 06 28 110/105 635.10 28.26 Borredon 15 40 113/110 476.40 16.70 Estivaux 10 58 112 630.00 33.36 PK 630 18 25 115/113 483.40 23.70 Alassac 15 18 625.67 37.69 Montpezat 20 45 117/110/119 00.00 16 07 17 late 617.87 45.49 Lalbenque 24 52 112/115 488.20 04.80 Donzenac 04 35 123/135 613.55 49.81 Cieurac 27 12 114/105 499.86 16.46 Brive-la-G 12 53 18 late 605.00 58.36 PK 605 31 56 108 499.96 00.00 Run 3 19 late 600.00 63.36 Cahors 35 12 26 late 507.86 07.90 Noailles 06 51 113/117 00.00 37 27 26 late 512.93 12.97 Chasteaux 09 12 115 598.00 02.00 PK 598 02 31 88 519.99 20.03 Gignac 13 17 104 591.57 08.43 Espère 06 02 115 530.00 30.04 PK 530 18 45 110 585.20 14.80 St-Denis 09 24 110/106/110 537.00 37.04 Souillac 23 05 577.53 22.47 Thédirac 13 41 108/105 00.00 26 05 16 late 571.79 28.21 Dégagnac 16 52 111/107 541.66 04.66 Cazoulès 03 32 110/108 565.80 34.20 St-Clair 20 11 111/117/111 548.52 11.52 Lamothe 07 15 117/108 559.44 40.56 Gourdon 23 36 115/113 554.04 17.04 Anglars 10 07 113 554.04 45.96 Anglars 26 27 115/108 559.44 22.40 Gourdon 13 25 548.52 51.48 Lamothe 29 26 116 00.00 14 37 14½ late 541.66 58.34 Cazoulès 33 07 105 565.80 06.36 St-Clair 04 45 114/105* 537.00 63.00 Souillac 35 41 108/110 571.79 12.35 Dégagnac 08 02 111/108/111 530.00 70.00 PK 530 39 37 106 577.53 18.09 Thédirac 11 12 108/111 519.99 80.01 Gignac 45 13 110/118 585.20 25.76 St-Denis 15 38 35* tsr 512.93 88.07 Chasteaux 48 53 113/118 591.57 32.13 Espère 20 10 115 507.86 92.14 Noailles 51 33 115/112/118 600.08 40.64 Cahors 25 11 13 late 499.88 100.12 Brive-la-G 57 40 21 late 00.00 27 33 13½ late 499.91 00.00 Run 5 21½ late 605.00 04.92 PK 605 04 05 109/107 492.87 07.04 Ussac 06 07 128 613.55 13.47 Cieurac 08 42 116/111/117 488.20 11.68 Donzenac 08 18 121 617.87 17.79 Lalbenque 11 00 112/115/111 483.50 16.38 Alassac 10 43 120/105 635.10 25.02 Borredon 15 07 118/108*/115 476.40 23.51 Estivaux 14 46 111/15*tsr 640.01 39.93 Caussade 23 10 468.23 31.68 Vigeois 26 00 60 00.00 24 34 9 late 459.78 40.13 Uzerche 31 13 110 646.20 06.19 Réalville 04 22 143/160 452.43 47.48 Salon 35 24 103 650.66 10.65 Albias 06 05 158/161 448.06 51.85 Masseret 37 46 116/112 663.44 23.43 Montauban 12 11 5 late 443.47 56.44 Porcherie 40 11 115/118 205.93 00.00 16 38 6½ late 437.17 62.74 St-Germain 43 30 112 217.96 12.03 Montbarlier 06 33 153/161 433.41 66.50 Magnac-V 45 29 119 229.52 23.59 Grisolles 10 56 142* 427.68 72.23 Glanges 48 30 114 234.95 29.02 Castelnaud 13 10 161/122* 421.70 78.21 Pierre-B 51 39 107*/110/106 240.76 34.83 St-Jory 15 38 145 412.92 86.99 Solignac 56 33 111/108 249.68 43.75 Lacourtens. 19 30 135 409.20 90.71 Pouzol T N 58 46 115 256.41 50.48 Toulouse 23 40 401.10 98.81 Limoges 64 51 24½ late from the start, but we were up to 110 km/h within four minutes, and the time to Caussade, like that from Souillac to Gourdon, remains an RPS Fastest Time to this day. With some

Milepost 36¾ -319- January 2016 more lively running on the 160 km/h stretches after Caussade we regained 19 minutes from Brive to reach Toulouse spot on time.

In the other direction, I timed BB 9277 on similar loads (Runs 4, 5), starting late from Toulouse after the portion coming from the Spanish border had been brought in very late by the venerable 2D2 5509. The time to Montauban was not as fast as in the other direction but this was due to a severely restricted start. Then the exit from Montauban was hampered by a TSR on the river bridge; the net time of 33½ minutes or less to Cahors would qualify as another fastest time.

Table 3 Montpellier – Marseille Run 6 Tr 6450 Bordeaux-Marseille, S 27.4.96, 12/490/515, BB 9210, AV 11/13, damp at first Run 7 Tr 162 Grand Sud, 1100 Bdx-Nice, M 7.1.91, 10/407/435, BB 9338, AV 11/11, overcast PK Dist m s km/h Dist m s km/h 77.10 00.00 Montpellier Run 6 16 late 00.00 Run 7 16 late 75.00 02.10 PK 75 03 02 82 02.10 02 37½ 97 70.41 06.69 Les Mazes 05 30 135 06.69 04 34½ 158 64.25 12.85 Baillargues 07 59½ 159/161 12.85 06 55½ 157/158 59.42 17.68 Valergues 09 47 158/161 17.68 08 45 157/159 53.48 23.62 Lunel 12 01 157/161 23.62 11 00½ 158/155 48.10 29.00 Gallargues 14 12½ 136 tsr/145 29.00 13 04½ 159/161 43.42 33.68 Vergèze 16 32½ 98* tsr 33.68 14 49½ 156/159 36.52 40.58 Bernis 19 39½ 149 40.58 17 27 157/154 30.92 46.18 St-Cézaire 21 49½ 158 46.18 19 36½ 156 27.25 49.85 Nîmes 24 32 16½ late 49.95 22 32 50/30*sigs 00.00 27 06 16 late 25.00 02.25 PK 25 02 40 103 52.10 25 23 82 20.00 07.25 PK 20 05 06 143 57.10 28 02½ 142 16.83 10.42 Manduel 06 23½ 151/159 60.27 29 18½ 159/156/159 11.30 15.95 Jonquières 08 30½ 158/155 65.80 31 25½ 157/151 05.53 21.72 Tunnel W 10 43½ 161 71.57 33 41 160 00.84 26.41 Beaucaire 12 49½ 67* 76.27 35 46 58* 00.10 27.15 Tarascon 13 46 13½ late 77.10 36 33½ 67 00.00 15 31 14½ late 763.64 00.87 Tarascon Box 01 37 77.87 37 14 70 768.55 05.78 Ségonnaux 04 26 145 82.78 39 59 158/160 773.00 10.23 PK 773 06 05½ 161 87.23 41 37 159 776.26 13.49 Arles 07 57 12½ late 90.59 42 54 157 00.00 08 50 8 late 778.00 01.74 PK 778 02 03½ 100 156 785.00 08.74 Raphèle 05 00½ 161/154 99.23 46 10 161/153 792.47 16.21 St Martin 07 52½ 159/161/157 106.70 49 02½ 159/156/159 804.58 28.32 Entressen 12 25½ 161/159 118.81 53 40 154 809.18 32.92 Miramas 14 43 6 late 123.51 55 34½ 146/133 00.00 15 49 5 late 814.35 05.17 St Chamas 03 46½ 151/153 128.58 57 47½ 143 818.00 08.82 PK 818 05 13 149/154 132.23 59 16½ 149/148 822.10 12.92 Calissanne 06 27 152/160 136.33 60 56½ 150 828.61 17.43 Berre 09 20½ 157/145*/152 142.84 63 33 148/147 834.91 25.73 Rognac 11 54 146/148 149.14 66 06 150/148 838.93 29.75 Vitrolles 13 32½ 148/140 153.16 67 44 149 843.95 34.77 Pas d. Lanciers 15 36½ 149 158.18 69 44½ 148 851.70 42.52 L’Estaque 18 50 138/140 165.93 73 00 130 sigs ? 855.93 46.75 St-Louis 20 39 138 170.16 74 54 137/140 859.34 50.16 St-Barthélemy 22 14½ 97* 173.57 76 24 sigs 861.05 51.87 PK 1 24 10 25* 175.28 78 27½ 30* 861.85 52.67 Marseille 27 04 5 late 176.08 80 25 16½ late

Milepost 36¾ -320- January 2016

The run to Brive was made very close to line limits with a substantial time gain. From Brive onwards the load was a little under 700 tonnes, and a very long and severe TSR before Vigeois meant that the long climb to La Porcherie was begun at quite low speed. We nevertheless touched the full 110 km/h on the easings, with minima of 103; then on the higher line limit and a stretch of 1 in 150 speed rose to 116 at Masseret and the final 1 in 100 was surmounted with a minimum of 112. Net time to Limoges was about 57½ minutes – cf the RPS fastest time of 56m 43s by a Sybic on 10 vehicles.

After Limoges this train was booked to make a Chateauroux stop, and ran the two stages to Paris in 70m 24s, net 65¼, and 115m 14s. Allowing for the Chateauroux stop this is equivalent to a Limoges-Paris time of less than 177 minutes, which was the scheduled allowance for the Capitole. This involved 120 km/h up the initial 1 in 101 grades from Limoges, over 4,700 EDBHP, and flying averages of 157.7 km/h on almost level track between PK 245 and 210 and, more notably, 156.2 over the undulating stretch (ruling gradient 1 in 200) between Theilly and St-Cyr. Final arrival in Paris Austerlitz was 15½ minutes late. These two excellent runs are a fine tribute to the work of the original BB 9200 series with heavy loads.

Back in 1998, in Milepost 19, I described running on the steeply-graded line that skirts the foothills of the Pyrenees between Toulouse and Bayonne, with several runs behind BB 92/93XX. A few more runs since then have been no better– mostly with only four coaches, and sometimes limited to 140 km/h. It is perhaps more interesting to look at the running of this class on the other route on which they continued main-line running quite late in their careers, alongside the more modern BB 7200 class. So Table 3 shows two runs between Montpellier and Marseille, one on a moderately heavy train with four stops, the other on the Grand Sud in its early days when the timings were still quite tight and the normal load was seven vehicles – though on this occasion BB 9338 had to cope with 10.

BB 9210 had damp conditions to contend with at first and made a slow start from Montpellier; with a lighter load and above all dry rail Run 7 gained a minute in the early stages but then tended to run a little more slowly. In terms of speed, both these runs were put in the shade by one made a couple of days earlier than Run 6, on the same train but with only seven vehicles headed by BB 9338. With a smart start and an average of 161.7 km/h for 15 km, Lunel was passed in 10m 20½s. Slowings to 126 km/h at Gallargues and 87 at Vergèze were followed by another 160 maximum and a good stop (02m 33s from St- Cézaire) for a time of 22m 34s to Nîmes, net 21m 20s. Run 6 continued with good speeds – note in particular 155 km/h on the unusual 155 limit after Jonquères – and made some better starts, particularly from Arles and Miramas. Unfortunately, a very slow stop in Marseille spoiled what could have been an excellent time up from Miramas. Run 7 was more uneven, and it is not clear whether the drop in speed at L’Estaque was a check or simply excessive slowing for the 150/140 MPS transition. The 80-minute schedule from Montpellier was not quite kept, but this was a very tight timing: a flat-out run with a BB 72XX on seven would do no better than 75 minutes, so a net of under 78 by an old BB on 10 was creditable. In fact on my previous run with this train, three weeks earlier, a BB 72XX on just seven, running late and totally unchecked, had taken 78m 15s on account of an over-reading speedometer. (And nowadays the best Montpellier-Marseille timings are over 90 minutes!).

Despite their quite early eviction from the Paris-Marseille route it is with this line, and above all the Paris-Lyon section, that I mostly associate the BB 9300s. So Table 4 summarizes two runs on the early-morning Lyon-Paris train. (The Up Dijon-Paris run was more difficult than the Down on account of the uphill start to Blaisy, and the deviation before Villeneuve, 660 metres longer than the down line, and limited to 110 km/h instead of 130.)

Milepost 36¾ -321- January 2016

Table 4 Lyon – Paris Run 8 0600 Lyon-Paris, 9.12.70, 10/388/400, BB 9301, AV Run 9 0600 Lyon-Paris, 12.9.79, 11/457/475, BB 9325, AV 3/12, overcast, misty .

PK Dist m s km/h (ave) m s km/h (ave) 510.92 00.00 Lyon Perrache Run 8 3 late Run 9 RT 506.39 04.53 Lyon Vaise 04 11 126/143 04 32 119/142 499.49 11.43 Collonges 07 10 140/134/141 07 36 135/134/141 490.76 20.16 St-Germain 10 53 136 11 22 138/161 485.77 25.15 Trévoux 12 52 161/163/160 13 21 158/161 481.48 29.44 Anse 14 28 163/159 14 57 157 476.98 33.94 Villefranche 16 07 163/158/161 17 54 55* weave 468.24 42.68 St-Georges 19 23 159/162 22 35 150/158/157 462.66 48.26 Belleville 21 26 161/158/162 24 43 158/154/161 455.44 55.48 Romanèche 24 07 161 27 29 159/158/159 450.71 60.21 Pontanevaux 25 53 161 29 17 157/159/156 446.83 64.09 Crèche 28 00 25* tsr/122 30 46 158/161 34 45 4 late 34 32 ½ late 439.74 71.18 Macon 36 03 4 late 35 59 1 late 00.00 05 49 153/150 06 08 155 429.17 10.57 Sénozan 08 35 153 08 46 151 422.24 17.50 Fleurville 10 23 161/162/159 10 38 158/161/157 417.46 22.28 Uchizy 13 59 162/160/162 14 20 161/158 407.75 31.99 Tournus 17 23 159/161/159 17 48 162 398.54 41.20 Sennecey 20 26 161 20 55 143/159 390.38 49.36 Varennes 25 24 3½ late 25 44 ½ late 382.12 57.62 Chalon-s-Saône 26 42 4 late 28 23 2 late 00.00 05 08 161/158/159 05 54 158 372.75 09.37 Fontaines 366.23 15.89 Chagny 07 39 149/163 08 28 146 10 38 161/sig stop 11 29 162 358.40 23.74 Meurseault 351.10 31.02 Beaune 19 08 105 14 13 157 21 18 157 16 02 161/157 346.36 35.76 Serrigny 342.59 39.53 Corgoloin 22 43 161/159 17 27 161

336.65 45.47 Nuits-S-Georges 24 55 162 20 05 70* tsr

331.50 50.62 Vougeot 26 50 161/162 22 56 135

325.36 56.76 Gevrey-Ch 29 07 159/161 25 33 158/161

316.17 66.95 Perrigney P 1 32 53 50* 29 24 80*

314.07 68.05 Dijon 36 48 7 late 32 18 2½ late

00.00 38 47 7 late 35 40 4 late 309.80 04.27 Plombières 04 15 129/134/129 05 25 108/116/tsr 299.46 14.61 Lantenay 08 59 131/132/30*tsr 14 15 122/131/sigs 288.93 25.14 Blaisy-Bas 17 43 135/157 21 47 129/161 278.40 35.67 Verrey 21 29 153/161 25 27 157/161 256.75 57.32 Les Laumes 29 43 157.8 33 41 157.8 242.86 71.21 Montbard 35 05 155.3 39 03 155.3 218.56 95.51 Ancy-le-Franc 44 25 156.2 48 30 154.3 196.09 117.98 Tonnerre 52 56 158.3 57 03 157.7 154.75 159.32 Laroche 68 14 162.1 72 22 161.9 134.64 179.43 St-Julien 75 43 161.2 79 51 161.2 112.50 201.57 Sens 83 54 162.3 88 03 162.0 94.02 220.05 Champigny 90 47 161.1 94 57 160.7 78.63 235.44 Montereau 96 35 151/155 100 50 151/162 66.78 247.29 Moret 101 16 152/155 105 25 148/162 58.94 255.13 Fontainebleau 104 23 150/162 108 26 159/15* tsr 44.08 269.99 Melun 110 11 135*/161 117 28 153/162/92*tsr 25.90 288.17 Combs-la-Ville 117 17 132/133 125 04 132/70*tsr 14.39 300.34 Villeneuve-St-G 123 18 101*/133 131 28 100/133/sigs 00.20 314.53 Paris G de Lyon 133 28 RT 142 26 2½ late

Loads on this working varied from seven to 14 through the 1970s, with CC 6500s (mostly) or BBs as motive power. Run 8 was the only occasion on which I noted a strictly RT arrival in

Milepost 36¾ -322- January 2016

Paris, for this train often tangled with late-running overnight services. Fittingly it was also the fastest actual and net time. Run 9 was almost as good and must be virtually a BB 9300 swan-song on the route as by the end of the 70s they had been almost entirely displaced by the 6500s and 7200s – and in 1981 the first part of the LGV to Lyon opened.

I have simplified the logs north of Dijon with averages only over some stretches, as after Blaisy summit it is easy running all the way on line speeds of 160 km/h except for 155 from Les Laumes to Tonnerre, 150 at Moret, 140, later 150 at Melun and 130 in from Combs. The initial 34-minute booking to Macon was probably the easiest part of this schedule, but with a slightly delayed start and a severe TSR to come BB 9301’s driver had the incentive to run right from the start, and he responded with an unusually fast exit from Lyon and an average of 161.6 km/h over 35 km. BB 9325 was slightly slower, running through thick morning mist that was frequent in the Saône valley. Both runs made excellent times over the short sprint to Chalon. Run 8 might then have expected to reach Dijon on time but suffered a signal stop at Meurseault and made a very slow, possibly checked stop. It was therefore seven minutes late from Dijon, with a TSR to come in Blaisy tunnel – hardly a recipe for a punctual arrival. However with a remarkable display of sustained high speed we reached Paris spot on time. Average speed on the 160 km/h stretch from PK 200-82 was 161.8, and the 160 km from PK 242 to 82 were covered in a few seconds under the even hour. BB 9325 was severely checked at first – it overtook a late-running sleeper in Blaisy tunnel – and was a little slower than BB 9301 to Tonnerre, but from there to the Montereau slack it gave away only a few seconds, and was then faster to Fontainebleau. Net times were 130 and 130¾ minutes, notably faster than anything I have noted with a BB 6500 or BB 7200. The classic BBs were a difficult act to follow!

Finally, a PS to my last article, where I deplored the continuing decline in average speeds scheduled between Marseille and Nice. Unexpectedly SNCF is offering, as from mid- November, a slight improvement in overall journey time. What’s more the five services concerned all make the journey in exactly the same time and, unlike the pre-existing trains with their uneven departures, all have regular timings, on the hour from Nice and XX15 from Marseille. The times are still not brilliant, 2h 30m as against a historic best of 2h 8m, but by way of compensation the offering includes wi-fi at every seat – something that is still not available even on TGVs. But I must warn readers that they may have to wait some time before I publish any logs of these new workings - since they involve not trains but SNCF motorway coaches!

There is surely something amiss when a road vehicle, statutorily limited to 100 km/h, can be timed to beat a train over a journey of more than 200 km. And it is ironical that SNCF itself, with this new road service, is thus highlighting the shortcomings of its own rail offering.

FROM THE RPS WEBSITE

Chelford line closure in February PSR changes at Christchurch North Lincolnshire resignalling Oxenholme Junction alterations GWML/Crossrail changes Charing Cross/London Bridge changes Norton Bridge alterations Medway Resignalling Fokestone-Dover closed Scotrail Seven Year Rolling Stock Plan Thameslink European Signalling tests Class 700 first outing

Milepost 36¾ -323- January 2016

Belgium - Further travails of a Corpulent Anorak

David Lloyd Roberts

I allowed my wife, Margaret, too much latitude during our October 2013 holiday in Liege; I allowed her a bus ride. She is fit, underweight and hearty. I am unfit and somewhat overweight.

I had worked out that the No. 65 bus from Liege would take us to Comblain-La-Pont on Line 43 to Jemelle. I then agreed we would walk from Cormblain La Pont to Hamoir. This is shown as 5 km in the Belgium timetable. I thought I could just about manage that. I had remembered from my holiday the previous year there was a bus from Hamoir to Aywaille. There was also a bus from Aywaille back to Liege. A nice triangular day out by bus, I thought.

The bus ride was very enjoyable and good value for the money at about €2.90 for about 23 km. We got off for the walk and there was not even a coffee shop to fortify me before it. However, there was a lovely flat paved riverside walk beside an attractive river, the Ourthe.

It was a lovely autumn day, with the tints beginning to show. Imagine my surprise when we got to the station to find it was Comblain-la-tour (translated as ‘tower’.) Clearly I had got off the bus at its terminus but not where I thought I was. It turned out that there was a Comblain- la-Pont (translated as ‘bridge’). Comblain-la-tour was a small place, with nothing open. There were no buses for 2½ hours. Imagine my chagrin that there was no realistic alternative but to walk to Hamoir. However, we did have a look around the corner in Comblain-la-tour, and there was a burger hut, showing signs of life. We waited 10 minutes for it to open, and my hunger was assuaged by a surprisingly good burger. We then went back to the riverside path, which soon turned into an ordinary riverside footpath. The path did not follow the railway as closely as it had done in the first section - we finally arrived some 6 km later in Hamoir. There was no bus to Aywaille - the last of the day had left at 1.30 pm, neither were there any open cafés. I recovered my breath and limbs, sitting beside the river Ourthe. This was extremely pleasant. There was no option, apart from a quick trip to the baker, but to return to Liege by train. There was an hourly train service, but no buses between Hamoir and Liege.

I show the return run to Liege as Run 1. Run 2 is a log over the complete course from Jemelle. Jemelle boasts a very good station cafe. It also boasts a railway museum that was closed on the Monday of our visit. The older types AM 62 - 79 are being replaced rapidly by new units of Type AM 08 and AM 085 (dual voltage).

The route is unusual in that it boasts a higher speed limit of 120 km/h at the western end on single track with a 90 km/h on the double track at the eastern end.

I don’t believe any runs with the older units have appeared in Milepost so I thought I would include these for nostalgic interest. These units were still operating on this line in October 2014, but I suspect that the AM08’s will be in charge by now.

Milepost 36¾ -324- January 2016

Table 1 Run 1 2 Date W 2-10-13 Tu 1-10-13 Train 1524 Jemelle-Herstal 1624 Jemelle-Herstal Loco AM79 770 AM79 761/770 Recorder D Lloyd Roberts D Lloyd Roberts km km Timing Point Sch. m s kph ave Sch. m s mph ave 0.00 57 60 JEMELLE 0 00.0 /109 5.90 51 70 Marloie 5.0 5 19.0 66.6 0.00 62 12 Marloie 0 00.0 /112 3.20 58 92 Marche-en-Famenne 3.5 3 26.0 55.9 0.00 58 92 Marche-en-Famenne 0 00.0 /118 9.80 49 12 Melreux Hotton 6.5 6 30.0 90.5 0.00 49 12 Melreux Hotton 0 00.0 /118 8.60 40 52 Barvaux 6.5 5 37.0 91.9 0.00 40 52 Barvaux 0 00.0 /107 3.43 37 09 Bomal 3.5 3 42.0 55.6 0.00 37 09 Bomal 0 00.0 /88 3.57 33 52 Sy 3.5 3 20.0 64.3 0.00 33 52 Sy 0 00.0 /90 4.00 29 52 Hamoir 3.5 3 25.0 70.2 0.00 29 52 Hamoir 0 00.0 /90 0 00.0 /88 5.00 24 52 Comblain la tour 4.5 4 04.0 73.8 4.5 4 00.0 75.0 0.00 24 52 Comblain la tour /90 0 00.0 Comblain la Pont 2 45.0 77 /88 4.23 20 29 Rivage 4.0 3 52.0 65.6 4.0 3 43.0 68.3 0.00 20 29 Rivage 0 00.0 /88 0 00.0 /86 3.87 16 42 Polseur 3.5 3 28.0 67.0 3.5 3 20.0 69.7 0.00 16 42 Polseur 0 00.0 /88 0 00.0 /89 3.70 12 72 Esneux 4.5 3 17.0 67.6 4.5 3 21.0 66.3 0.00 12 72 Esneux 0 00.0 /55 0 00.0 /70 1.10 11 62 Hony 1.5 1 21.0 48.9 1.5 1 26.0 46.0 0.00 11 62 Hony 0 00.0 /78 0 00.0 /83 1.50 10 12 Mery 2.5 1 37.0 55.7 2.5 1 40.0 54.0 0.00 10 12 Mery 0 00.0 /90 0 00.0 /89 3.20 6 92 Tilff 3.5 2 55.0 65.8 3.5 2 59.0 64.4 0.00 6 92 Tilff 0 00.0 /90 0 00.0 /77 6.92 0 00 Angleur 6.5 5 50.0 71.2 6.5 5 42.0 72.8 0.00 2 55 Angleur 0 00.0 /70 0 00.0 /82 2.55 0 00 LIEGE 3.0 3 42.0 41.4 3.0 3 42.0 41.4

Milepost 36¾ -325- January 2016

LETTERS

Martin Barrett – An early recollection - by Noel Proudlock

Martin had arrived at York, from London, at the Eastern/North Eastern Region merger in 1968, as had I - from secondment to Leeds University Management Studies Department. I joined the Chief Operating Manager’s Train Planning Office in 1969, where Martin was a member of the Trans-Pennine, west Yorkshire Group, whilst I became Section Leader of the NE/SW (now Cross Country) South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Group.

In May 1971, a down East Coast express to Leeds had to be balanced with an up express from York and rather than run empty, the nine-coach buffet car set was put on the 1611 Leeds-York train calling only at Crossgates. Available power was a BR Sulzer 1,250hp diesel electric – later a Class 25. It was quickly apparent that time was not being kept, and the connecting East Coast train for Scotland was being delayed.

Particularly at the start of the new timetable, going out to review the train was high on the “look at” list. Martin timed it on the 12th May 1971, and I went out on the 14th May, and our logs are set out below. Another staff member, not an accomplished recorder, and whose name I have not noted, went out on 17th May, when a tsr between Cross Gates and Micklefield made things even worse – 10m15s to Crossgates and 16m45s thence to Church Fenton, York at 29m45s, at least eight minutes late. From the start of the new timetable the speed permitted round the down line curve through Church Fenton had been raised from 60mph to 70mph (today 80mph), and because the 70mph cut out just beyond Micklefield Junction now applied all the way to Holgate, the 60mph cut out at Church Fenton had been removed without replacement. This, at first confused the drivers – at least the one on this duty during the week – who, as the logs reveal, continued to observe the old limits, after which acceleration back to line speed did not happen. Both days, three minutes were lost to “loco. This situation is illustrated by the third run on 17th August 1971 when the curve was taken at almost the permitted speed, and that speed could then be maintained to Chaloners Whin. The schedule was a “special timing”. On Saturdays, the train was formed of a DMU in similar timings. Date 12/05/1971 14/05/1971 17/08/1971 Train 1611 Leeds-York 1611 Leeds-York 1611 Leeds-York Loco Cl 25 7571 Cl 25 7571 Cl 25 7571 Load gross 9, 307 9, 314 9, 318 Recorder M Barrett N Proudlock N Proudlock miles M C Timing Point Sch. m s mph ave Sch. m s mph ave Sch. m s mph ave 0.00 20 47 LEEDS 0.0 0 00 0.0 0 00 P8 Cen 0.0 0 00 0.22 20 29 Leeds East 1 10 15 11.6 0 57 15 14.2 0.80 19 63 Marsh Lane 37.5 2 27 27 Eased 26.9 2 16 30 26.2 2.24 18 28 Neville Hill E 35 5 20 36/38 29.9 4 37 38 36.7 4.45 16 11 CROSS GATES 9.0 9 30 28.1 9.0 9 26 32.4 9.0 8 25 34.9 2.85 13 23 Garforth 5 50 46/59 29.3 5 51 49/51 29.2 5 22 54 31.9 5.35 10 63 Micklefield J 6.0 8 29 58/70 56.6 6.0 8 38 63 53.9 6.0 7 57 65/63 58.1 5.35 15 62 Micklefield J 10.35 10 62 Church Fenton 10.5 13 10 54 64.1 10.5 13 18 68/55 64.3 10.5 12 30 72/68 65.9 12.25 8 70 Ulleskelf 15 08 59 58.0 15 19 58 56.5 14 10 66 68.4 13.50 7 50 Bolton Percy 16 31 59 54.2 16 37 59 57.7 15 18 67 66.2 16.95 4 14 Copmanthorpe SB 19 55 60 60.9 17.39 3 59 Copmanthorpe 20 32 60 59.6 18 42 68 68.6 19.15 1 78 Chaloners Whin 22 05 62 60.9 22 16 60 61.0 20 17 68 66.8 20.61 0 41 Holgate FB 23 59 35/20 51.1 22 57 sig 30 32.9 21.13 0 00 YORK 23.0 26 00 30.3 23.0 25 50 P15 16.6 23.0 25 02 14.8

Coast: Peckfield-Ch Fenton Net 24min

50sec o/time Cross Gates - door closing

Milepost 36¾ -326- January 2016

Dear David

The following are comments on Derek Wilson’s article “Small Journeys in a Big Country” in MP 36½ . The route of the Valley Rattler was mostly the Mary Valley Branch, which was of high standard for a Queensland branch line. It was however sharply curved, with a ruling gradient of about 1 in 50. The speed limit for locomotive hauled trains was 35 mph. The line is not currently operating, for safety and financial reasons. Engine 967 is a 4-8-0, one of the postwar C17s with roller bearings on all axles.

His journey behind engine 1089 (the last steam engine to enter service in Australia) on “Steam Train Sunday” was on the northern suburban line to Eagle Junction, then on the Pinkenba branch, which is electrified and regularly used only as far as Doomben. At Pinkenba, there is a balloon loop, which allows the whole train to be turned. None of the route was suited to any speed.

The museum at North Ipswich is titled the Workshops Museum. The workshops for the original line of the 1860s was located just across the river from Ipswich centre, and have long gone.

The first section electrified was in the Brisbane suburbs, opened in 1979. At that time, the trains were the fastest anywhere for the station spacings, but have been considerably decelerated since, by about 20 per cent. The electrification of country lines came later, Gladstone to Rockhampton mentioned at the end of 1986.

The considerable sharp curvature on the North Coast line to Maryborough (Tables 3 and 4), together with the line being single track north of Beerburrum, reduces the speed possibilities, even for tilting trains. It was on a straighter section north of Bundaberg that one of the electric tilting trains achieved a rail speed record for Australia of 210 kph. The tare of a six car electric tilting train is 270 tonnes.

Much the same is true of the Brisbane to Sydney line (Table 5). The most interesting section is the considerable 1 in 40 climb of Cowan bank, between Gosford and Hornsby from Hawkesbury River to Cowan.

The 4ft 8½ins gauge line from Brisbane to Sydney is not dual gauge to the Queensland border, about 70 miles from Roma St Brisbane. The line was built to 3ft 6ins gauge on long sleepers from the Brisbane end, and widened to 4ft 8½ins before opening in 1930. There was no dual gauge until it was extended as such from South Brisbane to Roma St over the Brisbane River in 1978. It was subsequently dual gauged where it parallels the 3ft 6 ins line to the Gold Coast, another 6½ miles, to provide additional track capacity, and subsequently to the goods yard and gauge transhipment at Acacia Ridge. There has been some further dual gauging south of there, intended to reach a development near Beaudesert, about 40 miles from Brisbane, but this is not complete, nor has any of it been opened. The border is in any case in a long tunnel, not a place any 3ft 6ins gauge trains will need to reach.

John Knowles, New Malden

Coast to coast – Peter Absolon

A recent trip to my Alma mater for a reunion dinner led to a return journey from Paddington to Swansea on the 14.37 the following day. Sunday trains are not renowned for their turn of speed, and this one was no exception. The surprise for me (I have led a sheltered life) was the manner in which we didn’t go very fast. The following is offered in the spirit of light relief,

Milepost 36¾ -327- January 2016 and as a gift to those who fancy their hand at determining the resistance equation of an HST (perhaps LST would be more appropriate).

Having trudged to the gents on Platform 1, found it closed, been redirected to the one on platform 12, which I could have passed on my way from the underground had I known, I stopped at the real Cornish pasty shop on the way back. A pasty, a mug of coffee, a suitcase on wheels are quite a challenge at an automatic barrier, where the ticket must be extracted from whichever pocket it happens to be in. When I boarded the train at about 14.25, right hand window seats were full or reserved as far as quiet coach A, where I settled myself above the rear bogie.

The driver, who had been restarting the rear power car when I passed, made his way to the front of the train, and we left on time. All was going well, apart from a nasty flat in the wheel, which drowned any beeps my stopwatch occasionally made, but we were then checked by signals near Iver (‘Iver yellow!’) The slow lines had been closed for a fair bit, and I suspect we caught a slow train, which was being diverted to the slow line – we certainly overtook a train at Maidenhead. The run to Reading took over thirty minutes, but I was surprised that we still had to wait more than five minutes for the scheduled departure time.

The punctual departure from Reading was pedestrian. Having reached the dizzy speed of 90 mph somewhere near Pangbourne, it was as if the power was cut, and we coasted until the approach to Didcot when the brakes were applied for the stop. The first chart shows this. I can supply the numbers to go with it.The RPS techies may like to determine if we were simply coasting for ten miles, or alternatively what the rolling resistance equation for an HST is – whichever one they don’t know!

Reading to Didcot Didcot to Swindon

100 150

100 50 Speed Speed 50 0 0 35 45 55 52 62 72

Didcot (now a whole minute late) to Swindon was in a similar style, a burst to 100 and coast, followed by a burst to 120 and coast, as in chart 2. Some loud-mouthed yobbos who had boarded the train at Reading, placed themselves in the vestibule of the quiet coach and continued to talk to each other loudly, frequently using the only adjective they knew, which began with the letter ‘f’. After some moments in the platform, they realised they had reached Swindon, and alighted. Peace again, apart from that f in flat!

Swindon (3 late) to Bristol Parkway was more conventional, but after we had passed Severn Tunnel Junion, another coast took us to the outskirts of Newport (max 56mph), followed by a similar performance between Newport and Cardiff (max 84mph).

Wales had been playing Rugby (the game, not the place -World cup too) at the Millennium Stadium, and the train suddenly became ‘full and standing’(with very subdued and well behaved fans), at least as far as Bridgend, where it became just ‘full’. There was an attempt to attain the line limit, if not to retain it as we breasted the summit at Llanharan at about 62mph.After Bridgend, we ran more conventionally to Swansea, arriving three minutes ahead of time.

Milepost 36¾ -328- January 2016

Now, I am not complaining about this performance, but it did rather take me by surprise. It is what happened, real train performance. It is good that the timetable allowed for some engineering works, even if they were not happening. It was good that I made my connection at Swansea, and without an intermediate bus ride. Perhaps this is the way to run the train most efficiently on the extended Sunday schedule, rather than attempt to stick to a steady 56mph.

The subsequent ride to Haverfordwest on a class 150 unit was far more bracing.

Footnote:‘Coast to coast’ seemed like a good title for the article about trains coasting to Swansea. It is also actually the name of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park’s annual tourist newspaper, a quite brilliant publication which tells you all you need for a fulfilling stay in Pembrokeshire. The Taberna is an Inn near Milford Haven (CAMRA’s Pembrokeshire pub of the year 2013), which offers all-year-round B and B for £30 per person per night, less if you stay more than one night, and where we could chat about train performance if you came to stay. At what point will the editor cut this flow of free adverti....?

It looks like Peter had his first experience of GWR’S Driver Advisory System (DAS) which recommends speeds necessary to arrive punctually at the next critical timing point.

Table However, my very first experience Run of HSTs, on a Sunday in October Date Sun 17-Oct-76 1976 was very similar, with speeds Train 1345 Paddington-Bristol rarely in excess of 100mph - Some Loco 253009 things never change. Load formation 2+7 Recorder D Ashley However, things improved the next miles M C Timing Point sch m s mph ave day, with HSTs running up to 0.00 36 00 READING 0 0 00 3L 125mph, and due to late delivery of 2.61 38 49 Tilehurst 2 47 87 56.3 5.54 41 43 Pangbourne 4 36 98 96.6 HSTs, Class 47s and 50s on eight 8.75 44 60 Goring 6 32 97 99.7 coach trains trying to maintain HST 12.44 48 35 Cholsey 8 45 100 99.8 schedules. A similar situation may 17.14 53 11 Didcot 18 12 17 79.8 emerge in a few years when late 0.00 53 11 Didcot 0 00 completion of electrification results 3.46 56 48 Steventon 3 30 93 59.4 in bi-mode Class 800s trying to 7.21 60 28 Wantage Rd 5 48 98 97.8 maintain current HST schedules - 10.70 63 67 Challow 7 52 101/103 101.3 Ed 13.40 66 43 Uffington 9 27 101/87 102.3 18.33 71 37 Shrivenham 12 43 95/105 90.5 24.15 77 23 SWINDON 25 18 03 7E 65

NEWS

THE AUTUMN CHIEFTAN – Pathfinder Tours, September 2015 – Dr Peter Darke

My wife and I celebrated our Golden Wedding with various enjoyable parties and trips through much of September. When I saw a railway excursion advertised as providing a four- day autumn trip to Scotland, and originating in the South West, this promised to provide an excellent opportunity to relax after several weeks of activities.

Pathfinder Tours have operated weekend excursions to Scotland for several years. These trains often originate in Exeter on a Friday, pick up tourists from a number of stations as far as Chester, and arrive in Inverness late in the evening for the passengers to spend three nights in a mid-range hotel. While returning to this hotel every night, our train took passengers on to Kyle of Lochalsh and back on the Saturday, and on the Far North main line

Milepost 36¾ -329- January 2016 as far as Georgemas Jn and Wick on the Sunday. From these destinations, coach tours to Skye or via Loch Ness to Kyle; the north coast of Scotland; Orkney and Caithness were available. And the train returned to Exeter from Inverness on the Monday. All of these plans pleased my wife, not otherwise over-keen to spend hours on trains. And, with the tickets that I purchased, for us at our table for two the trip provided almost every meal (including hot breakfasts). The food was good throughout, and the Friday started for us with a welcome glass of champagne (at 05.40h!), on joining the train.

I did not read the plan in detail before we set off from Taunton on Friday 25th September, nor did I research the traction that would be supplied, although I realized that sadly, it would not be steam! I was pleasantly surprised when a pair of (50-year-old!) DRS Class 37s growled their way into Platform 5 with a 12-coach train, and I was even more intrigued by the route. Our path included stops at Weston-S-M, Bristol TM and Parkway, Cheltenham, Worcester, Kidderminster, Birmingham NS, Wolverhampton, Shrewsbury and Chester. It seemed, therefore, that we were routed via Stourbridge, with the steep climb through Old Hill, to travel eastwards through BNS. I had anticipated reversal here, but no, we were to travel the old Grand Junction line through Aston and Bescot to Wolverhampton, and then via the old GW line to Chester. Then it was ‘new track’ for me, over the old Birkenhead Joint to Warrington. All this not only provided some slightly unusual (for me) pick-up points, but also avoided the ever-busy WCML, with probable pathing problems. From Warrington the traditional LMS main line was followed through Carlisle, Cumbernauld, Stirling and Perth to arrive in Inverness reasonably punctually. We were met by coaches to transfer us to our hotel, after nearly 17 hours on the train! At least we had been given a couple of opportunities to stroll the platforms en route (at Penrith and at Perth).

Saturday provided my first opportunity to travel to Kyle by train, and as we had dry weather, we were able to enjoy the beauty of this line, spoiled only by the disgraceful lack of cutting- back on this line. We had been warned about the risk of leaning out of Mk1 carriage windows, and the hard slapping of the windows by uncontrolled vegetation was almost frightening at times. In view of the damage to rail vehicles through this neglect, shouldn’t TOCs claim damages from Network Rail? My wife and I took one of the coach trips to Skye, and enjoyed time in Portree. Our train journey back to Inverness, (during which we were served dinner) was mainly in darkness. On Sunday, with little service traffic to delay us, and with much better lineside maintenance, our trip to the Far North was for me, even more interesting. And, owing to lack of competing rail traffic, we were permitted to stand on the single line at Dunrobin Castle Halt for 2 hours while we toured this interesting stately home and gardens. From Georgemas Junction, where the nuclear flask sidings showed little sign of recent use, our coach took us to Thurso, John O’Groats and the late Queen Mother’s Castle of Mey, well worth a visit. We re-boarded the train at Wick, and again ate our well- prepared dinner after dark, returning to Inverness at about 23.00h after an uneventful 5-hour journey, crossing just two service trains at Brora and Invergordon. Each day the train departed from and returned to the long (southbound) Platform 2, and this required a rarely permitted (for passenger trains) propelling move, to allow reversal at Welsh’s Bridge Jn to travel north.

The path for our return run from Inverness to Taunton on the Monday had been revised, to require a 40 minute earlier start (07.45) than had originally been booked. Pathfinder Tours have kindly provided me with a copy of the revised schedule. This was promising, because it should provide an arrival in Taunton considerably earlier than the originally-quoted time of 23.53h. However, it soon became clear that this had created a better path than originally advertised. What ensued was a superb non-stop run from Inverness to Perth, as we ate our (cooked) breakfast. I had no ‘Satnav’ with me, and throughout most of our journey (with the exception of the northern ex-GWR section) I was on the wrong side of train for the mileposts, so I was obliged to try to time the train from structures, as listed in RPS distance charts.

Milepost 36¾ -330- January 2016

This was supported in places by my ability to judge speed by the presence of traditional rail joints.

I am unaware of any previously-recorded non-stop runs over this Highland main line, and although we lost some time on the steep climb out of Inverness, we kept within 10 minutes of our (modified) timings as we ran straight through successive loops where crossing trains were held: the overnight sleeper; two Stobart container trains; a tamper [or is it stabled here?]; and a DMU service [08.33 Edinburgh-Inverness] that was held at Stanley Jn. This running was steady rather than wild, and our timings by no mean constitute fastest times over any section of this line, but I witnessed no excess of speed over the published line limits. However, I cannot vouch for the absolute accuracy of the speeds that I recorded, as they were mainly averaged between timing points.

28-Sep-15 Date Train 0747 Inverness-Exeter Autumn Chieftain Loco 37425 & 37218 Load 12 coaches 420/450 Recorder/pos Dr P Darke - 9/12 This steady Miles Sched m s ave Notes progress 0.00 INVERNESS dep 0 0.00 mph On time resulted in our 0.51 Millburn Jn 2 2.10 -/33 departing 6.58 Culloden OB 12 12.06 52/58 Perth 59 10.95 Daviot bdg 19.03 33/43 14.95 Moy OB 23 24.45 40/58 minutes earlier 19.00 Tomatin RR 27 31.50 14/32 min X sleeper than originally 22.56 Slochd RR (summit) 32 38.24 32/56/70 booked, after a 27.96 CARRBRIDGE SFB 37 44.01 70 X Stobart 1 24 minute 34.65 AVIEMORE sta exit 43 50.19 40/63 stop. We then 40.55 Kincraig bdg 50 56.22 58/70/20* X Stobart 2 passed 48.35 KINGUSSIE SFB 55 62.39 -/56 ? sigs Dunblane and 49.24 NEWTONMORE shl 66.12 56 Larbert with a 59.43 DALWHINNIE SFB 69 77.10 56/40 min X tamper 65.24 Drumochter summit 85.08 48 similar 59 67.10 Dalnaspidal bdg 78 86.44 59/75 minute margin, 78.31 Struan ho 97.48 72 before passing 82.86 BLAIR ATHOL SFB 91 101.28 20*/42 tsr Whifflet (where 86.15 Killiecrankie tunnel N Ptl 106.56 25*/55 psr we should 89.64 PITLOCHRY SFB 100 112.11 58 originally have 94.35 Ballinluig OB 117.17 72/82 paused for a 97.26 River Tay Bridge 119.12 65 couple of 101.33 Inver tunnel N Ptl 122.47 60/47 102.56 DUNKELD SFB 112 124.29 64 minutes) 70 104.83 Kingswood tunnel N Ptl 127.12 50/64 minutes early, 107.79 Murthly LC 130.03 53 and we were 110.88 (Stanley Jn) 119 131.55 25/76 X DMU then held at 118.18 PERTH P4 arr 136 143.27 9 min late Mossend for 6 Average speed Inverness-Perth: 49.4 mph. minutes while * - speed restrictions X – single line crossings Arrived in Perth 64 minutes earlier than provisionally scheduled

Revised schedule provided by Pathfinder Tours, courtesy of Direct Rail Services NB: Not held at Tomatin or Kincraig, as originally booked Timed from structures (sited in decimal miles) and by digital stop watch.

Speeds calculated from passing structures and/or estimated from rbpm recordings. awaiting a path on the WCML. This revised path turned out to be just under 60 minutes before our original booked times. We overtook a freight in the Up loop at Castairs, where we

Milepost 36¾ -331- January 2016 had been due to be held, and we were instead looped at Abington just over an hour before we had been booked to pass this point. We were then able to arrive in Carlisle some 54 minutes before our original plan and 3 minutes late on our revised plan, having been looped at Beattock Summit almost precisely an hour earlier than booked, and reaching a maximum of about 83 mph descending Beattock Bank. From Carlisle, our onward steady progress to Warrington was within 65 minutes earlier than our original path and 5 minutes of our revised schedule, despite a few signal checks and an estimated maximum speed of 90 mph briefly at Grayrigg. This ‘slot’ on such a busy artery an hour earlier than planned suited us very well, and according to the DRS traffic notice this followed the path of their (cancelled) 4M10.

From Warrington through Chester (max: 73 mph through Frodsham and with our booked stop in Chester) to Wrexham, progress was steady, and we gained a little time despite being held at Wrexham as anticipated, but our maximum advance on schedule (71 min at Gobowen) was achieved despite the almost ridiculous MPS (60 mph) that still rules this line. Is this limit to be lifted when redoubling of the line between Wrexham and Chester has been completed? For our booked stops at both Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton we arrived and departed about 82 min early, but arrival at Birmingham NS at the tail of the rush hour ensured that we encountered signal checks at Bescot and Aston to arrive at BNS 65 min early, with on-time departure almost exactly an hour earlier than scheduled. And we held this advantage as far as Worcester. However, we were denied access to the Birmingham- Bristol main line, with a 20 minute stop at Abbotswood Jn., but still achieved arrivals at Bristol TM 40 minutes earlier than expected, and close to the revised schedule. Unfortunately, the rot then set in, with signal checks suggesting that we were following another train from Yatton, so our final arrival at Taunton was only 21 min early, slightly disappointing after such encouraging progress earlier in the day, but so much better than being dumped in the early hours of the morning after delays, as with some past excursions!

Altogether, this was a very satisfying trip. I believe that Pathfinder Tours have been able to employ similar paths on previous occasions, and I suppose that this indicates once again that excursions run regularly tend to run more reliably, as staff gain confidence in the timetable. Furthermore, when so many trains are run at regular intervals, this was a reminder that similar paths may emerge at regular (hourly) intervals on main lines. This must make life easier for the timetablers and the operators in Control offices.

I presented this information at the October 2015 Bristol meeting of the RPS, when the consensus was that it was worthy of submission to Milepost for publication.

Network Developments Ian Umpleby

There has been one significant speed improvement with the 110 mph differential speed for class 221s on the up line south of Bletchley (46m 46 ch to 42m 16ch) eliminated and 125 mph now applies. The opening of Cranbrook station between Honiton and Exeter has coincided with a reduction of the 85 mph PSR through the station to 65 mph but with all trains currently stopping there only diverted/charter trains will be affected. The North Lincolnshire resignalling scheme has brought about some minor changes with an improvement to 50 mph for TPE trains through Wrawby Jn although there is conflicting information in the two relevant tables at the time of writing. At Norton Bridge, north of Stafford, the vast works associated with the Stoke line grade separation continue apace with an Easter completion date; the new WCML down slow will reduce the Euston to Crewe distance by around 10 chains! The Bicester South to Oxford Parkway line opened successfully in October and will hopefully be extended into Oxford station soon; sadly the Bicester to Bletchley opening has been postponed for a few years as has the Ely to Soham doubling. The 40 PSR imposed a year ago on the Down Line through Christchurch was to be restored to 60 at the start of January. A development in Glasgow has seen restoration of the connection at Anniesland between the main and bay lines which will be used to mitigate the

Milepost 36¾ -332- January 2016 effects of the closure of Glasgow Queen Street High Level within the coming months for platform lengthening/electrification work. Trains will be able to run in a circle from Cowlairs via this route, Queen Street Low Level and return via Springburn (or vice-versa). The new Borough Market Viaduct between Waterloo East and London Bridge has been commissioned and will be the only (double track) route between the two stations until August; trains from Charing Cross will not call at London Bridge during this period. Two separate double track routes will remain from Charing Cross and Cannon Street (the latter with London Bridge calls) as far as New Cross. The New Year also saw work on the 15 miles or so approach to Paddington with the PSR for other than the normal traction reduced from 90 to 80 on the Down Relief from MPs 10-12. The Greenford Branch connection at West Ealing has been singled and a (yet to be opened) branch bay constructed there adjacent to the Up Relief. Yet another link with the Heathrow Airport line has been installed this time from the Down Relief to a now reversible Up Airport Line. Other Crossrail related works are gathering momentum on the Great Eastern lines as is the construction of a new Abbey Wood station on the South Eastern spur. In order to improve platform capacity at Manchester Victoria a new southbound bay is being constructed at Rochdale to allow arrivals from the west at the former to continue and terminate there instead. Farnworth Tunnel south of Bolton was reopened belatedly in December after re-boring with a 30 mph PSR. The Ordsall Curve (Manchester) work has now begun although it means that Manchester’s first station has lost its Network Rail connection. At Wimbledon the Network Rail half of platform 10 has been handed over to Tramlink and the first tram for the Tram- Train line from Sheffield to Rotherham has arrived just as authority for start of work on the connecting tram/heavy rail line at Meadowhall was granted. The part doubling of the Wrexham to Saltney Jn (Chester) line in November has been deferred to sometime this year but work on quadrupling of the Bristol to Filton line has just begun. Reinstatement of double track from Kettering to Corby continues. One innovative improvement has been the extension in December of SW Exeter Line services from Yeovil Junction to Pen Mill stations restoring a service lost for decades. Electrification work proceeds erratically although wiring work is gaining momentum between Newbridge and Glasgow and along the Thames Valley. Tubular baseplates have been installed over most of the Walsall to Rugeley line but no masts yet. The NW Electrification work from Manchester to Blackpool is on hold whilst a new contractor takes over whilst work has just commenced on the Gospel Oak to Barking line. On the signalling front Gresty Lane (Crewe) box has closed completing the Crewe- Shrewsbury scheme and Derby has taken control over the remainder of the Nottingham to Allington (exc) line. There has been a lot of pointwork installed at Banbury in preparation for the resignalling there and Swindon to Box/Alderton Tunnel are to be resignalled in the next two months. The postponed/scaled back Medway area resignalling is expected to be commissioned over Easter. Rochester’s new station opened on schedule in December but without its third platform which awaits the signal box demolishing. Station openings continue to be deferred although the aforementioned Cranbrook and Apperley Bridge finally made it. The long awaited Coventry Arena/Bermuda Park stations failed to make another false dawn on the 21st December. The Mayor of London will probably ensure that no such fate meets Lea Bridge (Stratford-Tottenham), due this Spring. Edinburgh Gateway, Ilkeston, Low Moor and Cambridge North are under construction with Kirkstall Forge nearly complete. In Ireland improved Connolly line timetables are due shortly but the only infrastructure change has been capacity improvements at Grand Canal Dock (Dublin). Heuston Line timetables are to be revised later this year and considerable track improvement has been made to the Cork Main Line as well as clearance work on the Heuston-Connolly connection soon to be reopened for scheduled passenger trains. In the North the new loop/resited station at Bellerena may be in use by Easter with the former (only) loop on the Coleraine-Londonderry line at Castlerock removed.

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CHILTERN RE-OPENING David Ashley

As with bus services, you have one re-opening – the northern end of the Waverley Route – and then another arrives almost immediately. This time it’s the Chiltern line from Bicester to Oxford Parkway. Whilst the delay in re-opening the Chiltern line was much shorter than that of the Waverley route, the contrast between the old and new speed profiles is equally impressive, with much of the new Chiltern route being allowed 100mph.

What is also noteworthy is the differing attitudes of the competing TOCs when the scheme was being proposed. Oxford is a city whose council takes the line of absolute resistance to allowing motor vehicles into its city centre, and the provision of a “park and ride” scheme from the Parkway station close to the A44 and A34 trunk routes to the north of the city would seem very attractive. The designer outlet centre at Bicester Village has also created significant demand on public transport, and a direct service to its doorstep seems to be a winner.

Whilst FGW, and its predecessors, were running a limited service on the line for many years it was Chiltern that took the decision to commit to a much-improved service, with the building of a spur off the main line at Bicester South Junction to the Bletchley line at Gavray Junction, the doubling of the line through to Oxford Parkway at 100mph, with a new station there, and rebuilding at Bicester Town (now called Bicester Village), and extra trains to provide the service. Presumably FGW, when considering such a scheme, would shrug their shoulders, say they haven’t got any spare rolling stock, and dismiss it. This attitude may be due to the fact that Chiltern’s franchise is much longer than First Group’s. If so, it does seem to highlight limitations to the earlier franchising arrangements.

The service from Marylebone to Oxford Parkway is half-hourly, and generally all trains stop at Bicester Village, and either High Wycombe or Haddenham. Occasional trains stop at Islip. The initial timetable is an interim service until the line is open through to Oxford and all the new rolling stock is available, so services are normally “Mainline” (Class 168), or occasionally “Mainline hybrid” 168/3 and 172, and a single “Silver train” Class 68 – 1818 out 1929 back. There are also a few Class 165 turns early and late. Trains generally take around an hour.

The logs cover one round trip – out on the 1035 ex Marylebone, and back on the 1147. This was a journey rostered for, and indeed covered by, a “Mainline hybrid” set comprising 168324 and 172101. The 168/3 is a conversion of the Class 170s reluctantly “donated” by TPE and which has received a light refurbishment. Passengers requiring tables and wifi are advised to head for the “silver coloured” train (the Class 168/3). The Class 172 does have facing seats, but no tables.

Departure from Marylebone was normal by today’s standards, although speeds seemed to peak and then drift back. Consistent speeds in the mid to high 90’s were maintained all the way from West Ruislip to High Wycombe. The train was well-filled and resembled a press conference at the United Nations, with multi-lingual discussions and announcements and frequent photographic flashes. Presumably returning trains in the afternoon would be equally full, but more chaotic because of the space occupied by the bulky purchases.

The Chiltern line is not renowned for its high volume of freight trains, but the 1035 encountered two of them. The 0851 Bow to Calvert crosses to the up line approaching Princes Risborough to continue its journey towards Aylesbury, and this caused us to slow to 30mph on the approach to the station. Speed then recovered to 100mph and similar speeds were maintained onwards towards Bicester. Our train was then held near Gavray Junction for 5½mins to allow the 1104 Oxford Banbury Road Sidings to Acton freight train to cross to

Milepost 36¾ -334- January 2016

Date Th 03-Dec-15 the up line. Both Train 1035 Marylebone-Oxford Pkwy these delays were Loco 168324/172101 Load formation 4 incorporated into the Recorder D Ashley timings, so arrival at Position/ GPS Dull 4/4 Y Bicester was slightly miles M C Timing Point Sch. m s mph ave early. 0.00 205 74 MARYLEBONE 0 00 P1 1L 2.29 203 51 West Hampstead 3 47 47 36.3 On, then, to the new 2.93 203 00 Kilburn 4 35 51/43 47.8 fast section towards 3.73 202 16 Willesden Green 5 33 45 49.7 the new Oxford 4.45 201 38 Dollis Hill 6 27 63 48.3 Parkway station, 4.93 201 00 Neasden 7.0 6 54 70 63.3 6.49 5 00 Wembley Stadium 8.0 8 10 75 74.0 where speed was 7.81 3 54 Sudbury & Harrow Rd 9 13 82 75.7 allowed to increase 8.74 2 60 Sudbury Hill 9 52 87 85.4 up to 99mph. The 9.76 1 58 Northolt Park 11.0 10 34 93/97 87.9 distances are 10.59 0 72 Northolt Park J <.5> estimates, and are 11.56 0 06 South Ruislip 12.0 11 42 90 95.3 based on the GPS 12.09 0 48 Ruislip Gdns 12 03 86/84 90.0 track download, and

13.35 1 69 W Ruislip 13.0 12 55 90/99 87.4 should not be 16.13 4 51 Denham 14 39 97 96.1 16.99 5 40 Denham GC 15 11 97/95 97.0 considered as 18.71 7 18 Gerrards Cross 16.5 16 16 96 95.5 definitive. 21.44 9 76 Seer Green 17 56 98/97 98.1 23.01 11 42 Beaconsfield 18 54 99/102 97.8 The return trip 25.49 14 00 Tylers Green (1) 20 25 95 97.9 followed a similar 27.84 16 28 HIGH WYCOMBE 24.0 22 46 60.0 pattern to the 0.00 16 28 HIGH WYCOMBE 25.0 24 41 T outbound run, but this 2.15 18 40 West Wycombe 2 43 68/81 47.5 time without 4.98 21 26 Saunderton 5.0 4 55 74/30sig 77.0 encountering freight [1](1.5) 8.15 24 40 Princes Risborough 10.0 8 34 85/102 52.2 trains – the Banbury 10.81 27 13 Ilmer 10 17 100/102 93.1 Road-Acton freight 13.91 30 21 Haddenham & Thame 14.0 12 07 99/101 101.5 was still heading 17.50 33 68 Ashendon J 14 17 100 99.3 towards its 18.70 1 16 Dorton 15 00 100 100.5 destination, and was 19.86 2 29 Brill T S 15 42 97 99.6 passed at West 21.18 3 54 Brill - path 16 29 102 100.5 Ruislip. It was here

23.78 6 22 Blackthorn 18 04 95 98.5 that our train caught 25.50 8 00 8 19 30 38 72.2 25.79 8 23 Bicester SJ 22.5 20 18 20 up with the preceding 25.79 0 00 (6.5) Sig Stop 5.5mins 1055 Moor St- 26.44 0 52 Gavray J 30.0 27 38 30/37 6.9 Marylebone, and 26.94 19 40 Bicester Village 31.0 28 47 26.1 brought our speed 0.00 19 40 Bicester Village 32.0 31 47 T down to 30mph, and 1.65 21 12 Langford Lane 2 08 75 46.4 later caused a signal 2.65 22 12 M40 2 53 85 80.0 stop at Neasden 4.58 24 06 Oddington 4 08 96 92.4 South 5.94 25 35 Islip 4 59 99 96.2 8.14 27 51 OXFORD PKWY 8.0 8 04 T(3E PTT) 42.8

Junction. In spite of this, arrival at Marylebone was 4mins early – mainly due to the 5min difference between PTT and WTT, and 3mins which relates to the leaf fall timetable.

The next stage of the reopening will be the section from the Parkway station to Oxford. This, presumably, will be dependent upon receiving the approval by the bats residing in Wolvercote Tunnel.

.

Milepost 36¾ -335- January 2016

Date Th 03-Dec-15 Train 1147 Oxford Pkwy-Marylebone Loco 168324/172101 Load formation 4 Recorder D Ashley Position/ GPS Dull 1/4 Y miles M C Timing Point Sch. m s mph ave 0.00 27 51 OXFORD PKWY 0.0 0 00 P2 T 2.20 25 35 Islip 2 37 77 50.4 3.56 24 06 Oddington 3 36 90 83.1 5.49 22 12 M40 4 47 99 97.6 6.49 21 12 Langford Lane 5 24 99 98.6 8.14 19 40 Bicester Village 8.0 7 19 51.4 0.00 19 40 Bicester Village 9.0 9 14 0.50 19 00 Gavray J 1.0 1 13 40/35 24.7 1.15 0 00 Bicester SJ 2.0 2 14 38 38.4 3.16 6 22 Blackthorn 4 04 79 65.9 5.76 3 54 Brill - path 5 51 93 87.5 7.08 2 29 Brill T S 6 41 94 94.5 8.24 1 16 Dorton 7 25 100 96.2 9.44 0 00 Ashendon J 8 08 99/97 99.3 13.03 30 21 Haddenham & Thame 10.5 10 18 98/99 99.3 16.13 27 13 Ilmer 12 13 96/81 97.0 18.79 24 40 Princes Risborough 14.0 14 00 83 89.6 21.96 21 26 Saunderton 16.5 16 08 92 89.3 24.79 18 40 West Wycombe 18 07 79 85.5 26.94 16 28 HIGH WYCOMBE 20.0 20 00 57 68.5 29.29 14 00 Tylers Green (.5) 22 03 85 68.8 31.76 11 42 Beaconsfield 23 42 94 90.0 33.34 9 76 Seer Green 24 40 100 97.8 36.06 7 18 Gerrards Cross 27.0 26 17 101/102 101.1 37.79 5 40 Denham GC (2) 27 18 101 101.8 38.65 4 51 Denham 27 51 92/30sig 94.1 41.43 1 69 W Ruislip 32.0 30 54 62 54.6 42.69 0 48 Ruislip Gdns 32 00 79 68.9 43.21 0 06 South Ruislip 34.0 32 23 85 82.2 45.01 1 58 Northolt Park 33 36 90 88.8 46.04 2 60 Sudbury Hill 34 16 95 92.2 46.96 3 54 Sudbury & Harrow Rd 34 50 100 97.9 48.29 5 00 Wembley Stadium 37.0 35 38 96/ss 1m 99.4 [1](1) 49.85 201 00 Neasden 40.0 39 57 39 21.7 50.33 201 38 Dollis Hill 40 38 49 41.7 51.05 202 16 Willesden Green 41 29 52 51.2 51.85 203 00 Kilburn 42 22 55 54.3 52.49 203 51 West Hampstead 43 07 50 51.0 54.78 205 74 MARYLEBONE P4 48.0 48 02 1E 4E PTT 27.9

NAISMITH’S RULE & GOVIA THAMESLINK David Ashley

There is a rule in hiking terminology which suggests that, when walking in groups, climbs should be planned on the time it takes the slowest walker to complete it. This concept was also utilised by management consultants when they were promoting lean manufacturing in the 1990s, who suggested that the processes that take the longest time, create bottle-necks – and they made loads of money in identifying what these processes were.

Southern Railway services on the Brighton Main Line (BML) are also significantly affected by these concepts, and these have become even more apparent following the recent recasting

Milepost 36¾ -336- January 2016

Date Th 17-Dec-15 Train 0830 Brighton-Victoria of the timetable, particularly Loco 442401 in the morning peaks. The Load formation 5 line is, effectively, a two- Recorder D Ashley track railway south of Three Position/ GPS Bright 3/5 Y Bridges, so to run 11-12 miles M C Timing Point Sch. m s mph ave trains an hour, with closely- 0.00 50 45 BRIGHTON 0.0 1L spaced stations, is going to (.5) be difficult. Consequently, 1.31 49 20 Preston Park 3.5 3 16 49 24.1 trains in the morning peak 2.48 48 07 Patcham T S 4 33 55/64 54.4 4.74 45 66 Clayton Tnl S (5) 6 50 60sig 59.5 stop at most intermediate 7.00 43 45 Hassocks 9 08 56/10sig 59.0 stations, and it is not until 9.16 41 32 Burgess Hill 14.5 13 24 29sig 30.4 the 0815 from Brighton to (0.5) Victoria, that a limited-stop 9.96 40 48 Wivelsfield 15.5 14 44 40/58 36.0 run is attempted. Those who (1) can remember the days 12.84 37 58 Haywards Heath 19.0 19 18 37.8 when a train completed the 0.00 37 58 Haywards Heath 21.0 20 23 /70 -78.7 journey in about 50 minutes 2.26 35 37 Ouse Via N (1) 2 57 69/62 46.0 3.90 33 66 Balcombe 4 27 63 65.5 will be disappointed to learn 6.81 30 73 M23 6 53 86/89 71.8 that the 0815 is allowed 67 8.46 29 21 Three Bridges 9.0 8 00 88 88.7 minutes with just one stop at 11.25 26 50 Gatwick Airport 12.0 11 45 44.6 Gatwick, and includes 11½ 0.00 26 50 Gatwick Airport 15.0 17 00 2L minutes “pathing”. It follows 0.89 25 59 Horley 1 35 54 33.6 five minutes behind the 3.19 23 35 Salfords 3 30 80 72.0 0729 Littlehampton all the

5.00 21 50 Earlswood 5.0 4 52 79 79.6 way to Victoria, and makes 8.13 18 40 Quarry T S 7 12 86 80.4 seven stops. The final 9.33 17 24 Quarry T N 8 02 90 86.4 13.26 13 29 Purley 11.5 10 40 89 89.7 indignity is that the 14.19 12 35 Purley Oaks 11 18 88 87.6 Littlehampton train is also 15.35 11 22 S Croydon 12 11 51/5sig 79.0 scheduled to call at 16.29 10 27 E Croydon 14.0 14 55 22 20.6 Battersea Pier Staff 17.23 9 32 Selhurst 15.0 16 42 64/70 31.5 Platform. On a bad day, the 17.91 8 57 Thornton Heath 17 19 69 66.9 driver of the Brighton train

19.21 7 33 Norbury 18 27 63/56 68.8 may also be tempted to stop 20.00 6 50 Streatham Common 19 16 57/54/58 57.9 there to be relieved, on the 21.99 4 51 Balham 19.5 21 20 57 57.7 22.54 4 07 Wandsworth Common (3) 22 35 26/15sig 26.4 basis that he fears he may 23.88 2 60 Clapham J 24.5 26 21 23/21sig 21.3 have become colour blind, 25.33 1 24 Battersea Park 27.0 30 00 23 23.8 as he hasn’t seen a “green” 26.48 0 12 VICTORIA 30+3 34 18 3L 16.0 for over an hour.

I sampled the 0830 Brighton to Victoria on two consecutive days during the first week of the new timetable. This train stops at Haywards Heath and Gatwick Airport, and is allowed 69 minutes, with 11 minutes pathing. This time it follows the 0827 Brighton to London Bridge, which has six stops to East Croydon, and the 0837 East Grinstead to Victoria beyond. Those who argue that it should be possible to delay departure of the fast train, so that it doesn’t catch up the slower train, will be disappointing to know that it would then conflict with the 0833 all stations train to Bedford. The log makes depressing reading. It was hampered by signals most of the way to Haywards Heath. It was eased cautiously away from there, which allowed it to accelerate towards Gatwick. Similarly, excess dwell time there enabled line speed to be maintained towards East Croydon. Beyond there, it caught up with a late- running 0720 Hastings-Victoria train around Clapham Junction. So in spite of 11 minutes pathing and a three minute PTT/WTT difference, it was still three minutes late into Victoria – a total journey time of 71mins42secs, at an average speed of 42mph. Having removed “Gatwick” from the branding of the Class 442s – now some of them run through to Brighton - perhaps they should also remove the word “Express” too. The reality is that the trains are

Milepost 36¾ -337- January 2016 running in a “straight jacket” with little scope to utilise the pathing allowance, unless the train that should be in front is behind, or has been cancelled. The other journey on the same train was 15 minutes late.

The same situation applies in the off-peak, with fast trains catching up with slow ones. This results in differing recovery allowances – where the xx28 is allowed 2mins, the xx18 5½mins and the stopping train just one minute. 10 trains per hour are scheduled south of Three Bridges, but there are resulting peculiarities in the timing: the xx28 ex Brighton takes 57mins with five stops, the xx18 takes 56mins with one 3-minute stop at Gatwick, and an all stations train would take 66½ minute with 9 stops – less than the time allowed for the 0815 train mentioned above.

Despatching trains with three minute headways, and differing stopping patterns is always going to be a problem, so I decided to spend a week on the line to view operations – I was not disappointed.

There had previously been problems with punctuality, to such an extent that for a week commencing 23rd November they introduced an experimental timetable which removed half the Gatwick Expresses, and terminated London Bridge to Brighton services at Gatwick in the off-peak. This, they hoped, would reduce congestion on the network, and if successful, would continue in operation until the timetable change on 13th December. They abandoned it after a week, so presumably it wasn’t successful. The Joint Improvement Plan explained that the December timetable change would increase turnaround times and improve the reliability of the service, but this seems to be optimistic as they are now running an extra Victoria to Brighton train, and although the turnarounds there are generally around 20 minutes, the Southern Victoria-Brighton services are only 11 minutes.

The problem seems to be that there is very little capacity to recover from a major disruption, and this was evidenced on both the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the new timetable. Firstly there was a signalling failure at Purley late in the morning peak which was cleared by lunchtime, but trains were running up to an hour late in the evening peak, and half an hour in the late evening. The second problem was a failed train at Clapham Junction at 1500, the effect of which was still causing delays of half an hour in the late evening. Towards the end of the week, the main problem was cancellations due to a “temporary shortage of train crew”. On the Saturday, they cancelled the 0545, 0645, 0700, 0815, 0915, 1045,1130, 1300, 1345,1445, 1530, 1615, 1645, 1715, 1830, 1845 and 1900 Gatwick Express services, from Victoria and described this as “minor disruption” on the Southern web-site! Consequently, the performance during the first week was poor (Data taken from Raildar), and was worse than their 81.7% PPM monthly average on five of the six days.

Punctuality (%) mins Raildar Obs Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Week DA T 27 10 10 14 17 25 17 14 1-5 77 33 47 59 71 84 62 57 6-10 100 78 97 96 99 100 95 80 10+ 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Fault Sig fail Train fail Cancellations Cancellations

Purley Clapham Train crew Train Crew Time 0800-1300 1500- Throughout Throughout

Of the trains travelled during the week, 35 lost time during the journey, and only eight gained time.

Milepost 36¾ -338- January 2016

I was aware that there was a problem with punctuality on the up line on Saturday afternoon, and have analysed the data to consider whether this was due to individual problems or knock-on effects.

London Br London

Bedford

-

Vic

-

-

London Br London

-

Brighton 1448 Reigate 1514 Brighton 1458 Littlehampton 1414 Brighton 1502 E Grinstead 1507 Hastings 1409 Bognor 1430 Redhill 1543 Brighton 1505 Br London Caterham 1537 Brighton 1518 Tonbridge 1519 Brighton 1528 E Grinstead 1537 2L 5L 2L 3L 2L 2L 4L 4L 3L 2L 2L Gatwick 1517 1525 1530 1535 1541 1544 1548 1555 Horley 1519 1526 1531 1536 1543 1546 1550 1556 1527 Stoats Nest J 1527 1534 1536 1539 1545 1551 1554 1558 1602 1606 E Croydon 1532 1540 1541 1543 1548 1552 1556 1601 1604 1609 1611 1613 1617 1541 1543 1545 1553 1558 1602 1611 1615 1619 1620 7L 5L 3L 1L 2L 11L 6L 7L 9L 10L 11L 10L 11L 5L Selhurst 1533 1544 1546 1548 1550 1600 1613 1617 1622 1623 Clapham J 1540 1553 1555 1558 1601 1606 1619 1623 1629 1632 1554 1556 1600 1602 1607 1624 1630 1633 Victoria 1545 1559 1602 1605 1608 1613 1624 1629 1636 1640

1L 8L 8L 8L 4L 3L 10L 8L 12L 12L

London Br London Bedford Br London Bedford

- - - -

Brighton

Eastbourne 1455 Gatwick 1600 Brighton 1532 Bognor 1456 Brighton 1535 Brighton 1548 Reigate 1614 Brighton 1558 Littlehampton 1514 Gatwick 1630 East Grinstead 1607 Brighton 1602 Brighton 1605 Bognor 1530 1618 Bognor 1530 1L T T 4L 5L 3L 1L T T 1L 2L 4L T T Gatwick 1558 1600 1603 1611 1614 1618 1621 1627 1631 1635 1640 1641 1645 Horley 1600 1603 1605 1613 1615 1619 1622 1629 1633 1637 1642 1642 1647 1623 Stoats Nest J 1609 1614 1616 1621 1623 1627 1631 1632 1637 1643 1645 1650 1653 1656 E Croydon 1619 1622 1624 1627 1629 1632 1635 1638 1641 1648 1649 1654 1657 1700 1621 1626 1628 1630 1637 1639 1643 1650 1655 1701 9L 8L 8L 6L 5L 2L 2L 1L T 3L 3L 2L T T T Selhurst 1625 1628 1631 1634 1639 1641 1645 1649 1651 1703 1705 Clapham J 1635 1641 1643 1646 1648 1651 1654 1657 1700 1710 1712 1636 1645 1649 1652 1655 1701 1713

Victoria 1643 1648 1651 1656 1658 1701 1703 1707 1711 1717 1719 16L 18L 10L 12L 7L 6L 6L 7L 7L 3L 1L

Although it was thought that there were delays throughout the 1½ hour period, in fact there were two distinct delay periods from (arrival at Victoria) 1545 to 1615 and 1625 to 1720. There must have been problems on the Redhill line, as the first culprit (the 1514 Reigate) ran ECS to East Croydon. With hindsight it would probably been better to have run it empty through to Victoria, as it delayed later trains until the 1502 and 1505 ex Brighton disappeared towards Blackfriars and London Bridge at East Croydon, and created a gap in the service to Clapham Junction, which allowed punctuality to improve.

The second delay also started with a problem on the Redhill line, where the 1500 Horsham- London Bridge was cancelled between Horsham and Redhill and became the 1543 from

Milepost 36¾ -339- January 2016 there, and was five minutes late. It should not normally need to access the fast lines, and neither should the preceding diverted SE 1409 Hastings-London Bridge, but it did delay all subsequent trains, which increased when the 1537 East Grinstead joined the convoy at East Croydon. Once again, the situation improved when the Thameslink trains left the main line at East Croydon at 1630, and the delays were finally cleared half an hour later when the same situation repeated.

So it seems that late presentation on the main line will have knock-on effects on subsequent trains, and delays on the main line will be repeated by following trains until a gap in the procession allows time to be recovered. Whilst a few minutes delay can be accommodated, the “saturation” service will prevent recovery from major disruption. Sadly, Govia Thameslink seems likely to remain propping up the PPM table for the foreseeable future.

OPEN RAIL DATA – Updates David Ashley

Recent developments are outlined below:

Open Train Times: http://www.opentraintimes.com

Whilst most of the recent changes to Open Train Times have resulted in an extended list of signalling maps, they have also provided more real-time data. As well as listing the working timetable for each train, they now give individual punctuality at each WTT timing point, although this is only shown to the nearest minute. The timing list of all trains passing through or stopping at locations is also available. However, the identity of each train is only indicated by the reporting number. So unless you have memorised them, it will be necessary to click to establish their identity. Perhaps the inclusion of the train’s booked departure time would help to identify it. Data is available for about a month, rather than the week provided by Realtime trains.

Raildar http://raildar.co.uk

A major upgrade has recently been released by Raildar. There are three levels of information: Personal, professional and corporate. Personal is available to all, Professional is available upon registration, which is free for 30 days, although it has been freely available for longer than that. They seem to suggest that payment will be by purchasing “credits” for accessing data, and that corporate users will pay a subscription for multiple access.

The distinction between levels is fairly hazy.

The “personal” level allows users to view departure/arrival boards and the progress of the trains on it. It also shows individual train punctuality, and where they have been delayed.

Registration provides access to individual train detail (for up to a year), as shown on the accompanying web-page. As well as showing progress graphically (to the nearest second – but subject to the position of the nearest signal), tsrs, and summaries of punctuality, they detail where trains have lost time and show trains in the vicinity at the time. They even show the weather conditions at each stop.

An additional facility is also available that prepares reports and which compares sectional running times (or more correctly WTT times): passing/stopping and for differing types of traction - with actual performance and dwell times. Various statistical analyses are provided.

Milepost 36¾ -340- January 2016

The downside of the update is that the berth data for each train at every signal, which was previously available, is no longer supplied, so the raw data is no longer accessible.

Also, there are some inaccuracies: Occasionally, passing times are missing – or possibly incorrect, by an hour or more.

The reports are not always available for all sections, and maybe only partially complete – in the case of the Paddington to Uffington section, passing times and dwell times are virtually unavailable between Hayes and Harlington and Didcot.

Hopefully, these are teething problems which will be resolved shortly.

Milepost 36¾ -341- January 2016

FROM STOURBRIDGE JUNCTION, by CHILTERN John Rishton

I have made several trips over this section in order to record the same driver on all three types of traction. In my opinion he is the most cautious of the Stourbridge depot Chiltern drivers.

The class 68 is shown to be much slower in initial acceleration. There is a 40mph restriction near Old Hill station and, already moving, the 68 then shows its power by easily out- accelerating the other two runs up to the tunnel.

The final run suffered signal checks approaching Snow Hill (occupied platform) so the final stage is not representative. Day/Date Sat 15th Nov 2014 Sat 15th May 2015 Sat 28th Nov 2015 Train 09:10 Kidder-Marylebone 08:13 Kidder-Marylebone 09:10 Kidder-Marylebone Motive Power DVT + 6 Mk3 + 67.010 168.110+168.112 DVT + 6 Mk3 + 68.013 Load (tons) 341/350 = 9.1 hp/ton 265/275 = 9.2 hp/ton 337/345 = 10.9 hp/ton Weather damp dry damp Rec. Pos. GPS J Rishton - 7/8 - GPS J Rishton - 5/6 - GPS J Rishton - 7/8 - GPS Miles mm cc location WTT mm:s mph avge WTT mm:s mph avge WTT mm:s mph avge 0.00 142 18 Stourbridge Junction 0 00:00 r/time 0 00:00 r/time 0 00:00 r/time 0.10 142 26 Stourbridge Jun. Box 00:45 18 8.0 00:34 19 10.6 00:50 20 7.2 0.42 142 51 Stourbridge NJ 01:51 17 17.5 01:47 15 15.8 01:58 12 16.9 0.75 140 60 mp 02:37 38 25.8 02:35 42 24.8 02:55 28 20.8 1.02 140 39 Rufford's 03:00 47 42.3 02:55 52 48.5 03:22 43 36.0 1.35 140 12 Lye 03:25 48 47.5 03:16 59 56.6 03:44 55 54.1 1.90 139 48 Hayes Lane 04:06 48 48.3 03:50 56 58.3 04:20 55 55.0 2.34 139 13 Maypole Hill 04:37 51 51.1 04:23 42 48.0 04:54 42 46.6 2.67 138 67 Cradley Heath 05:01 49 49.5 5 05:12 24.2 05:23 38 41.0 6 06:24 r/time 0.0 2.90 138 48 Cradley Road 05:18 49 48.8 00:58 30 14.3 05:44 44 39.4 3.16 138 27 Corngreaves Road 05:37 49 49.2 01:26 37 33.5 06:05 46 44.6 3.47 138 03 The Terrace 06:00 49 48.6 01:55 40 38.4 06:29 46 46.5 3.89 137 49 Halesowen Road 06:39 33 38.8 02:33 40 39.8 07:04 40 43.2 4.14 137 29 Old Hill 07:05 36 34.6 02:55 41 40.9 07:27 39 39.2 4.28 137 18 Station Road 07:19 36 35.9 03:08 37 38.9 07:40 39 38.7 4.49 137 01 Old Hill tunnel 07:39 39 37.8 03:27 41 39.7 07:58 44 42.0 5.00 136 40 Old Hill tunnel 08:23 44 41.7 04:11 42 41.7 08:38 47 45.9 5.32 136 15 Rowley Regis 9.5 09:04 0 28.1 5 04:57 0 25.0 9.5 09:27 0 23.5 0.00 11 11:03 r/time 0.0 5.5 05:43 1 late 0.0 11 11:11 r/time 0.0 0.07 136 09 goods loop 00:43 18 5.9 00:29 20 8.7 00:47 23 5.4 0.18 136 00 summit 01:00 27 23.3 00:44 28 26.4 01:01 35 28.2 0.43 135 60 goods loop 01:26 40 34.6 01:07 43 39.1 01:25 40 37.5 0.68 135 40 Ashes Road 01:47 46 42.9 01:25 55 50.0 01:45 51 45.0 1.43 134 60 Langley Green 02:45 48 46.5 02:13 56 56.3 02:36 54 52.9 1.60 134 47 Langley Green 02:57 52 51.0 02:24 55 55.7 02:48 52 51.0 2.10 134 07 Rood End Road 03:33 49 50.0 02:55 60 58.0 03:24 49 50.0 2.78 133 32 Smethwick J 4 [1] 04:44 22 34.5 4 03:54 29 41.5 4 [1] 04:32 27 36.0 2.92 133 23 Galton Bridge 6 05:24 0 12.6 4.5 04:26 0 15.8 6 04:57 0 20.1 0.00 8 08:03 r/time 0.0 5.5 05:11 r/time 0.0 8 08:05 r/time 0.0 0.24 133 02 Dartmouth Road 00:53 27 16.3 00:47 35 18.4 00:55 21 15.7 0.75 132 41 The Hawthorns 1.5 02:19 0 21.3 1.5 01:53 0 27.8 1.5 02:26 0 20.2 0.00 3 03:25 1 late 0.0 2 02:28 1 late 0.0 3 03:31 1 late 0.0 0.35 132 13 Watville Road 01:04 44 19.7 00:48 47 26.3 01:11 38 17.8 1.18 131 27 Winson Green 02:05 53 49.0 01:42 61 55.3 02:09 58 51.5 1.51 131 00 Benson Road 02:26 59 56.6 02:02 59 59.5 02:29 60 59.5 2.01 130 40 Lodge Road 02:57 58 58.0 02:33 58 58.0 03:04 48 51.4 2.44 130 06 Jewellery Qtr 3 03:25 44 55.2 3 03:03 37 51.6 3 03:53 13 31.6 2.81 129 56 Livery Street (3) 04:19 21 24.7 [1] 03:57 21 24.7 (3) 05:31 12 13.6 3.05 129 37 B'ham Snow Hill 7 05:28 0 12.5 6 05:11 0 11.7 8 07:07 0 9.0

Milepost 36¾ -343 - January 2016

THURSDAY 28th JANUARY 2016

Area Meeting

Borough, LONDON

THURSDAY 25th FEBRUARY 2016

Area Meeting (NOW 1600 start)

BRISTOL PARKWAY

TUESDAY 15th MARCH 2016

Area Meeting

LEEDS

SATURDAY 21st MAY 2016

AGM and 40th Anniversary Review of HSTs

The Lamb, Bloomsbury, LONDON, WC1

THURSDAY 26th MAY 2016

Area Meeting

Borough, LONDON

Milepost 36¾ -344 - January 2016